Making It Count
by Annie Coomes
Summary: When the Tardis becomes trapped on the doomed ocean liner, Titanic, things are not as they seem when the Doctor meets a previous incarnation of himself and soon realises that the tragedy may not be due to human faults, but alien meddling. COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Summary: When the Tardis becomes trapped on the doomed ocean liner, Titanic, things are not as they seem when the Doctor meets a previous incarnation of himself and soon realises that the tragedy may not be due to human faults, but alien meddling. Can the Doctor and Rose save the day, thousands of lives and a certain loved up couple without revealing their identities to another Doctor they are trying so desperately to hide from?

Dedication: For the lovely Emma

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Making It Count

It was twelve noon of April the tenth 1912, a tall man with a weathered face stopped at the dockside to stare up at the ship which loomed over him. His dark hair was cut shortly, cropped to the shape of his head, his ears stuck out a little and he stood all in black including a leather coat as he stared up at the boat above him.

'Ain't she a beauty?' called out a man beside him, he looked up to the ship which dwarfed him and smiled,

'She sure is' he replied.

'Doctor?' another man called out. The Doctor – in his ninth body – turned around to the gentleman who stood before him

'You cabin is ready' he said with a nervous smile. The Doctor grinned at him

'Thanks' he told him as he moved towards the plank which lead from the dockside in Southampton towards the giant ship. The Doctor looked up at it as he walked by, the huge letters of her name still shinned in the sun, the words wet with black paint as she awaited to set sail.

'Titanic' the Doctor breathed with a smile as he continued forwards moving through the crowds fighting his way towards the ship.

'Aye sir' the man who carried his bags said with a grin 'They say she's unsinkable'

'So I've heard' the Doctor murmured, '20.5 knots eh?'

'Oh yes sir, she should glide through those waves'. The Doctor grinned at him

'Beautiful' he declared 'Just beautiful'.

'Hope everyone else agrees' the man admitted nervously '2227 people on board'

The Doctor gave him a familiar grin and looked up at the boat where the water so calmly lapped at its sides,

'Unsinkable' the Doctor told him with a wink 'Everyone will love it'.

So the Doctor boarded the boat, as did 2226 thousand other people, 337 of them heading towards first class accommodation – as did the Doctor, 285 running towards second class accommodation, and 721 looking for third class accommodation in the hope of a better life, in the hope for dreams to become a reality and it was up to the 885 crew members for these dreams to become a reality.

The Doctor stood on the top deck leaning over the railings, his hands first to touch the newly painted metal as he looked out over the dockside of family members and friends, each waving their hats and cheering as the Titanic let out a cry as she began to move. As the ship began to pull away thousands hung overboard shouting final messages of love to family members and loved ones, tears fell and smiles shone, everyone celebrated – everyone except the Doctor. He had no one to celebrate for or with; he'd lost them all, not so long ago. It was just him now – him and his Tardis which he'd left in England as she repaired herself, as she healed herself after the war they'd just suffered. As his ship healed he tried so hard to do so himself by dissolving himself into the lives of a thousand other people, lives he could watch but never touch and so he leant on the railings waving to the people he could never know, a smile not even straying near his face.

Captain John Smith steered the ship away from the docks and the Titanic left land as did 2227 other people, little did anyone know of what was to come.

6,899 miles away, within the Tardis a very different Doctor stood. His brown hair stood manically on his head and his brown eyes sparkled with delight as he saw his companion, Rose, hanging off the safety railings that surrounded the control panel. Well he called her his companion, but she was so much more, in everyway possible.

As she let out a squeal he released a deep chuckle,

'You know the safety bars are there to _prevent _accidents, not a cause them' he warned her with a smile. She grinned at him, her eyes sparkling with mischief

'Yeah, but I know you'll be here to catch me' she laughed. He raised an eyebrow at her

'What makes you so sure of that Miss Tyler?' he asked her as he slowly paced around the consol in a circle.

'Call it women's intuition' she told him grinning mysteriously. He raised his eyebrows at her having no idea what she was talking about. She laughed to herself again.

'Right then….anyway' he began to mumble as he tried to tear his attention away from her smile.

'Yeah…anyway' she said softly as she watched his brown eyes twinkle at her. She knew she could stare into them all day…instead she tore her gaze away and focused at the floor not wanting to embarrass herself.

'Where shall I take you on this fine morning?' he asked her.

'Hmmm' she said as she stroked her chin whilst carefully balancing on the pole.

'Hmmm?' he asked with a grin tugging at his lips

'Hmmm' she replied.

'Well I can say that I've never been there' the Doctor replied with a chuckle 'I'll set the coordinates and see what happens' he told her

'Good' she laughed as he pulled a face of intense thought as he began to hit the consol.

The Doctor missed the grumble that ran through the Tardis thinking it was coming from Rose and not the ship, it wasn't until the lights went out and he felt as though he was falling at a thousand miles per hour did he realise something was wrong.

'Rose' he shouted out as he remembered her hanging off the pole promising not to fall – they were definitely falling now, he thought as he hurtled himself through the darkness to where he remembered her sitting hoping it wasn't too late.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for your reviews! Happy new year!

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Making It Count

Chapter Two

The Doctor paced the deck of the ship as it set sail hurtling towards the ever fading horizon. He paced the fresh wood that lay beneath his feet as he moved his way forwards towards the stern of the ship. He ran his fingers over the metal and let out a heavy sigh as he watched the simple blue waves rise and fall, crashing back into each other becoming one before parting again for their endless cycle. The Doctor breathed in the salty sea air and closed his eyes, he tried to listen to the simple sounds that were being carried through the air such as the hushed whispers of a lover, the innocent laughter of children and the endless chatter of ladies but he could only hear one thing going through his mind – death. He could hear the cries of 'exterminate' and the sounds of explosions tearing through Gallifrey, and it was in this moment, when his hands were clenched onto the railings and his mind was filled with blood and pain that he knew he could never forget the Time War, or the people he lost during it.

'But it's over' he murmured aloud in his northern accent in an attempt to force himself to forget…in an attempt to remember how he'd won and how he'd killed them all….them all. That included the Time Lords, not just the Daleks, but the Time Lords – he killed every innocent that stood in his way, and he couldn't forget that.

'Sir?' a voice called out, he looked up to see a lady with her hand resting on his arm. Her face was pale against the vibrant red of her hair and her eyes fell from a look of knowing to one of confusion and embarrassment

'Terribly sorry Sir, I thought you were someone else' she said in a soft British accent – the Doctor noticed how well spoken she was.

'It's alright' he told her. When she shuddered he realised how void of emotion his voice was, he flashed her a brief smile as a means of apology

'I'm the Doctor' he told her as he extended his hand. She smiled cautiously at him and accepted his hand

'Rose DeWitt Bukater' she told him. He nodded and pressed a kiss to her hand

'Pleasure to meet you' he told her

'Rose darling' a voice called from the deck above them, Rose instantly dropped her hand from his, her smile falling from her face as she turned around

'That's Cale' she murmured under her breath to the Doctor,

'Well are you coming?' he enquired impatiently. The Doctor watched him as Rose smiled apologetically at him before walking towards him with the air of a woman about to face the gallows. Cale was a man with slick black hair greased off his face, he wore expensive clothes to show how much money he had and liked to prove his masculinity by showing Rose off on his arm.

'Caledon Hockley' the Doctor murmured as he disappeared with the beautiful young lady on his arm. He shook his head and turned around stumbling as the huge ship glided over a bump like a feeble raft. He grabbed the railings and glanced around – they'd hit something, or something had hit them. He looked out over the sea where the afternoon sun shone down over the clear seas and shook his head – he must be imagining things. So he turned and headed back indoors.

Within the Tardis it was as dark as midnight, no light shone and no sound was apparent. The Doctor had reached her just in time; he'd caught her just as she'd begun to fall towards the unforgiving metal of the consol room's floor. He squinted at her in the darkness, her body was on top of his and he could hardly believe how light she was. Her blonde hair was draped over his shoulder and her face was pressed into his chest. He had one hand embedded in her hair holding her close and the other on her back pressing her into his chest.

'Rose?' he murmured softly, his voice cracking in the silence of the Tardis. She slowly raised her head from his chest to look up into his eyes

'See' she said softly, he crinkled his brow, 'Told you you'd always catch me' she said with a weak smile. He shook his head at her, fear still lacing through his veins, he pulled her closer for another moment for just long enough to reassure himself that she was alright.

After a moment he slowly detached himself from her and they rose to their feet. Through the darkness the Tardis became quite eerily, its pillar stood high into the ceiling disappearing into the darkness above them. Looking around, Rose slipped her hand into the Doctors who pulled her closer. They stood side by side with their hands intertwined as they looked around the room

'What happened?' Rose whispered, almost afraid of speaking. The Doctor ran his hand through his hair

'I've got no idea' he murmured softly 'but I can soon find out' he declared brightly. Rose smiled at him and glanced around

'Where are we?' she finally asked after a moments silence. The Doctor shrugged and moved towards the screens of the control panel. After several moments of kicking, poking about with the Sonic Screwdriver and a few muttered Gallifreian swear words, the lights reappeared. Rose blinked in the bright light and glanced around the room, where she had been sitting only moments before a metal pole rested, the Doctor saw it as well and felt a chill run through him as he thought of how very nearly he'd lost her. He squeezed her hand and pulled her around to distract her, just as he was smiling down at her he noticed a bleeping on one of the screens.

'Now that's strange' he murmured

'What is?' Rose asked.

'Very strange indeed' he muttered as he turned back to the screen. 'It says we can't leave – the Tardis has been grounded' he said thoughtfully

'Grounded?' Rose asked as her brow tensed in thought 'But I thought it couldn't be'

'So did I' the Doctor muttered from under his breath.

'There seems to be some sort of interference – made us land and is preventing us from leaving' he told her simply.

'Alien interference?' she asked cautiously. The Doctor shrugged and smiled brightly

'Only one way to find out' he told her as he began to drag her towards the doors, within moments they'd reached the Tardis doors and the Doctor was dragging her through them – soon all would be revealed.


	3. Chapter 3

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Making It Count

Chapter Three

The Doctor tugged a cautious Rose through the doors of the Tardis and onto the carpeted floor before him. He squinted around and scratched his face as Rose's face screwed up into thought

'We're in a corridor' she finally mumbled breaking the silence

'Yes, I can see that' he told her patronisingly. She pulled a face and looked at their surroundings, she raised her hand and poked the wall with it

'Paint's just dried' she murmured softly to herself 'smells fresh and all'. The Doctor looked around

'Hmm?' he asked as he heard he mumbling to herself

'Nothing' she grumbled as she twirled around so that the length of her skirt swirled around her knees. She grinned as she looked down at the black skirt which floated down around her knees, it was accompanied by a white t-shirt with black print and a black jacket pulled over her shoulders. She looked around at the corridor and let out a sigh as she saw the Doctor deep in thought

'What? It's just a corridor yeah' she said hoping to sound confident by a faint tremor of uncertainty ran through her words.

'Don't be silly' he grumbled 'course it's just a corridor what else could it be'. Rose winced at the harshness of his words and turned around

'Alright then, I just wont speak, will that suit you better?' she said glaring at him. The Doctor finally pulled his eyes away from the paint work to look at Rose – she looked hurt, defensive but still hurt. He let out a sigh

'Rose…' he began, but she just shook her head

'Whatever' she murmured as she turned to look at one of the fresh white doors that lined the corridor. The Doctor ran his fingers through his hair – sometimes he just didn't understand her, but now he was stuck with the decision of whether to try and find out what was wrong or just to pretend that everything was normal.

'It's not you' he finally said his voice flat. Rose glanced at him from over her shoulder

'Don't sound too convincing then' she murmured sarcastically. He shot her a look then moved so that he was behind her; he softly ran his fingers down her arms until she responded with goosebumps.

'It's not you' he whispered softly into her ear. She turned around sharply so that his arms fell from her

'No? Then what is it?' she asked him. He frowned and looked around at the corridor

'Its this corridor – I could swear that I've been here before'. Rose smirked

'Doctor…a lot of corridors look the same' she whispered into his ear. He glared at her

'You finished yet?' he asked

'With what?'

'The bitchiness'

'You finished with the moody leave me alone thing'

'Yeah'

'Right then'

The Doctor grinned at her and squeezed her hand, she laughed and smiled at him as she leant her head on his shoulder

'I didn't mean those things' she finally murmured.

'I know…but I deserved them' he told her softly. Rose smiled softly and the Doctor felt himself drowning in her eyes

'Right then…' he finally murmured pulling himself out of the intensity of her gaze

'So this corridor' Rose said as she pulled away from him and began to look around it 'recon you've been here before?'

'Know I've been here before'. She nodded and they began to walk down it stride in stride.

Up on deck a very different Doctor began to pace the wooden floor boards. He walked along until he finally dropped down into a bench along side a blonde young man. The man was drawing and studying his work intently as his hand glided across the page leaving behind marks that would tell a story. The Doctor watched him work for a moment and wished he could be that carefree

'What you drawing?' he finally asked, breaking the silence. The young man looked up and seemed almost shocked to see him sitting there.

'The boat' he told the Doctor – in the moment he spoke the Doctor realised he was American. The Doctor held out his hand

'I'm the Doctor' he told him, the man took his hand and smiled as his dirty blonde hair fell in front of his eye

'Jack – Jack Dawson'.

'Pleasure to meet you'

'And you'

They fell into a comfortable silence again and Jack lit a cigarette, he looked over at the Doctor and gestured to the packet – the Doctor shook his head. Jack blew out his smoke into the night air and looked at the Doctor

'So why you going to America?' Jack finally asked, the Doctor leant his head into his hands and shrugged

'To get away I s'pose' he murmured.

'From what?' Jack asked

'Everything' he said simply before resting his head back on the bench so that he could only see the night sky above him

'How about you?' he finally asked.

'I'm going home' Jack told him with a smile

'Wish I could' the Doctor murmured

'Where's home?' Jack asked. The Doctor looked into the sky and smiled sadly to himself

'It's far far away' he said softly.

Below deck the Doctor was peeking his head around the corner with Rose hiding behind him, he jumped back as he saw a group of finally dressed ladies. His jaw dropped as he saw them and his mind began to swim with memories, the smells and names all fell together until he glanced frantically back

'Oh no' he murmured as he grabbed Rose's hand and pulled her back behind the Tardis so that the ladies wouldn't see her.

'What? What is it?' Rose whispered heavily

'Shh!' he hushed her as he hide in the shadows. When the ladies had passed Rose stepped back and looked up at him

'What is it?' she asked finally, fear present in her eyes

'I know where we are' he said finally, his voice monotone.

'Where?' she asked quietly almost not wanting to know the answer. He looked down into her eyes and placed a hand on each of her cheeks,

'Rose…we're on the Titanic'


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks for the reviews! Sorry for the dealy in updating...but exams called.

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Making It Count

Chapter Four

The Doctor rose from the bench and walked along the decks until he came to the bow of the ship. He leant forward on the railings and looked over into the deep Atlantic ocean. The waves below him were black with midnight and gently rose and fell crashing into the metal of the ship, the Titanic glided easily over these waves and the Doctor looked ahead until all that was before him was only sky. He watched the faint twinkling of lights above him and closed his eyes only seeing flames dancing in his mind. Flames accompanied by screams which wrecked his soul that he was trying so desperately to hid from. The Doctor started when he felt a hand on his arm

'Doctor, sir?' a steward asked. The Doctor turned around, his face set in a deep frown. He looked at the young man before he finally managed to speak

'Yes?' he asked with an air of impatience. The young man blushed

'Sorry to disturb you sir, I'm just informing you that dinner is being served'

'I was aware' the Doctor said after a moment. When the man looked down embarrassed at his feet the Doctor let out a sigh

'Sorry' he muttered 'What did you say your name was?'. The steward looked up, his eyes bright

'Marcus' he told him. The Doctor held out his hand and smiled

'Pleasure to meet you Marcus, now show me where this dinner is being served'. The young man smiled

'Certainly Sir' he told him as he began to lead him towards the grand stair case. The Doctor paused at the top of the stairs and nodded to Marcus in thanks, the young man smiled back

'Will you be requiring my services tonight?' the man asked expectedly. The Doctors brow crinkled

'Excuse me?'

'Every first class suite comes with a man-servant sir' Marcus told him

'Ah' the Doctor murmured 'Na…I'll survive on my own' he said with a laugh.

'Very well then sir' Marcus replied before turning and leaving. The Doctor turned to the stairwell and absorbed his surroundings. A grandfather clock stood at the top of the stairs and chimed nine bells, the marble staircase led down to an oak walled lobby where the richest passengers socialised each showing of their wealth by the cut of their clothing and the beauty of the woman on their arm. The Doctor watched as the ladies in gloves and gowns floated across the room accompanied by some of the richest men in the country.

The Doctor drew in a deep breath and descended to the dinning hall preparing to lose himself and his memories in the lives of others. He walked towards the dinning hall, the sound of other people's laughter tearing at his heart – he needed someone to save him.

Rose looked at the Doctor, she was still in silence after he had told her where they were. The Doctor had turned and looked more closely at the corridor

'Ah' he murmured aloud as he saw the sign 'Third class berths, F-deck…right at the bottom then' he joked as he turned around. Then he saw Rose's wide eyes and a faint tremor run through her. Instantly he was at her side, his hands rested on her shoulders

'Rose?' he asked softly, she smiled at him bravely trying to hide the fright that ran through him

'Can we leave?' she asked quietly. The Doctor studied her face then shook his head slowly – he saw her swallow heavily

'The Tardis is grounded, like a magnetic forces, she's being pulled towards something – too strongly for her to leave' he explained. Rose nodded silently, he ran his hands down her arms until his hands reached hers and then he locked his fingers within hers and squeezed them gently

'You alright?' he asked her. She smiled up at him and nodded

'Yeah…I'll be fine' she said weakly. The Doctor moved his face closer to hers and studied her eyes, he could see the darkness in them

'Rose…' he whispered.

'But Doctor…it's gunna sink – we're gunna sink' she told him with an edge of panic of her voice. He shook his head at her with a small smile

'Trust me?' he asked her softly, she nodded up at him

'Course I do' she said tenderly.

'Good – cos we've got four days – until Sunday at 2:20 in the morning, and I promise you Rose' his voice dropped as he raised his hands to her face 'That I will find the problem and fix it by then so that we can leave'

She looked up at him, her eyes wide with hope

'You promise?' she asked quietly, he nodded with a soft smile

'I'm not ready to lose you Rose – not now and not ever' he told her softly. Rose smiled at him and pressed herself to his chest as he wrapped his arms around her

'Good' she whispered.

'I'll sort it Rose, I promise' he told her as he stroked her soft hair.

They stood that way for a moment until a steward walked up and coughed loudly, the Doctor released Rose from his arms and glared around to the steward with a slight glare – when he saw the young man his face softened

'Excuse me Sir – are you looking for your accommodation?' he asked. The Doctor glanced at Rose and then smiled pulling out his physic paper

'Yes we are' the Doctor told him brightly as he held up the paper

'Ah – course Sir, I'll take you and your wife to your room'

'Wife?' Rose spluttered, the Doctor put his arm around her and pulled her close

'Wife' he declared as he winked at her. The young man lead the way and Rose looked up at the Doctor in question

'It's 1912 – highly unacceptable for an unmarried couple to share a room' he whispered into her ear. Rose nodded as the Doctor took her hand

'Come along my dear' he called out, Rose shook her head at him but followed with a smile playing across her face.


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks for your reviews and sorry for the delay!

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Making It Count

Chapter Five

The young man led them through a corridor of small white doors until he finally stopped outside of one, he opened the door and smiled at the Doctor and Rose

'Here's your accommodation Sir, madam' he said as he waited outside. The Doctor grinned at him

'Thank you' he told him as he began to search around in his pockets for a tip, his face fell as he realised his pockets were empty – Rose shook her head and stuck her hand into the pocket of her jacket and pulled out a five pound note. She then handed it over to the young steward with a bright smile

'Thank you…thank you madam' he stuttered before turning down the corridor, Rose turned back to the Doctor and saw the sadness in his eyes; she placed her hand on his arm.

'Doctor?' she murmured. He smiled softly at her

'That was Marcus' he told her quietly 'He was…is a steward – he was my steward, but he…' his voice trailed off and hardened at the memory. Rose squeezed his arm in understanding and quietly drew him into the room

'You can't save everyone' she whispered. He sighed and nodded

'I know' he murmured as he paused for a moment to remember the dead boy.

Rose looked around their room, they had a bunk bed and a wardrobe in the tiny square, and she glanced around it

'Third class eh?' she asked 'Why couldn't you make the physic paper say first class?' she grumbled. He smiled at her

'Because up there on the first class deck is me – and I can't see me, and I can't see you or… or bad things will happen' he warned her

'Yeah yeah, paradoxes and stuff, I know' she murmured with a sigh. 'So which of you is up there?' she asked after a moment

'9' he said quietly and watched her as her face lit up. He felt a pang of jealousy for the version of himself that she had fallen in love with and then he closed his eyes

'But you can't see him' he told her 'sorry' he added after awkwardly. Rose looked up at him and smiled

'Why are you sorry? I've still got you haven't I, and technically you're the same, so…' she trailed off watching him. He smiled at her and walked towards the window

'Yeah, but I know that sometimes you still miss him' he said after a moment. Rose watched him not knowing to say, so instead she walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his stomach resting her head against the back of his shoulder. She let out a soft sigh

'Am I not allowed to miss him?' she finally asked, her turned around in her arms and looked down at her, his eyes slightly confused. He rested a hand on her face

'Of course you are' he told her softly, 'It's just…sometimes I feel like you need him more than you need me'. Rose shook her head at him and smiled

'Rubbish' she told him firmly 'Anyway, you're the same person inside' she told him as she raised her hand up and traced it down his face. He pressed his forehead against hers and watched her hazel eyes as they studied him he knew that he could drown in her eyes so easily – so he shut his own. Rose ran her fingers over his eyelids and watched him as he tried to fight the feelings that were growing inside of him. The Doctor let her stroke his face for a moment and then he pulled away from her, she watched him as he walked away knowing that he was remembering everything he went through on this boat. He sat on the bottom bunk and looked down at his feet, his face set into a deep frown. Rose watched him then sat down beside him, she rested her head on his shoulder and squeezed his hand – there was no need for words, together they sat in the darkness of their cabin losing themselves in their memories.

Up on D-deck the Doctor was finishing off dinner with the other passengers. He smiled across the table at the young lady he had met the night before but she didn't respond to his smile, her eyes were darkened and she watched her hands as her fiancé and mother both spoke to her – their voices harsh. She finally rose from the table and left – the Doctor waited a moment before following her. As he walked across the boat deck he saw Rose run across the wooden boards, her red hair flailing along behind her. He paused at the railings of the promenade and watched as she ran towards the stern of the boat – he then saw Jack jump up and follow her. He watched from the deck as two people found and saved each other, and his heart broke a little more as he thought of all the people he'd lost on his planet, on his home – he had been alone before but this was worse. This hurt so much deeper for he knew that he had killed them all himself, and for what…for the end – the end which didn't even involve his own death.

He turned away from the young Rose and Jack and walked back towards his cabin where he would silently drink to himself waiting for a new hope to arrive with the morning sun.

Rose fell asleep leaning against the Doctor, he smiled down at her and stood up, carefully placing her underneath the fresh sheets – sheets that had never been slept on. He stroked her hair off her forehead and pressed a kiss to the softness of her skin

'I'm gunna get you off this boat Rose, I promise. Even if it kills me' he vowed softly before he stood and left.

He began to run through the corridors aware of how little time he had – and he began to search through every room on every deck – he would not rest until he knew that his Rose wouldn't have to go through what he had been through so long ago.


	6. Chapter 6

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Making It Count

Chapter Six

In his room, the Doctor threw his battered leather coat over the back of an arm chair before slowly lowering himself into the chair. He lifted the lid off the brandy decanter and poured himself a glass, sitting in the darkness of his room he slowly began to drink. As the alcohol worked its way through his veins and into his mind, the images that haunted him started to fade as darkness began to seep in on him – finally he fell asleep with his mind at rest.

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The Doctor was walking through the corridors of E Deck looking for the nearest staircase, instead he found himself back where he'd left the Tardis. He stroked his hand down the side of the ship and let out a sigh

'Ah, you missed out on this the first time old girl' he patted her side then walked inside remembering Rose. He walked into the wardrobe and began to search through the rails of clothing for something that was suitable for Rose to where on this ship. Finally he had his hands full of ladies clothing, and he began to work his way back to their room.

In the room Rose was still asleep on the bottom bunk. She rolled over and over in a restless sleep; something was clawing at her mind and causing her to cry out. The sheets became tangled between her legs and the sheets were marked with her sweat as a nightmare tore through her – finally she released a scream.

The Doctor heard the scream and ran towards their room, he kicked the door open and flung the clothes on the top bunk the moment he saw the restlessness of Rose. He knelt down beside her bed and gently framed her face

'Rose' he called out softly gaining no response

'Rose' he said louder

'Rose! Wake up' he commanded more firmly this time – her body fell limp and her eye lids fluttered. For a moment she thought she was still trapped within her nightmare and her eyes failed around the room in the darkness.

'Rose – it's me, it's the Doctor, you're alright, I've got you' he soothed softly. Rose gasped in a breath of air and then flung herself onto him. He caught her close and wrapped his arms around her gently stroking her back until her breathing returned to normal.

Finally she detached herself from his arms and stood up from the bed. She walked over to the window and pressed her forehead against the glass which was stained with water marks. She turned around to look at the Doctor who was still watching her worriedly and she flushed.

'Sorry' she finally murmured, wincing in embarrassment at her earlier fear. He shook his head

'What happened?' he asked her quietly

'Ah, you know, same old' she said in a cheery voice. She fell quiet for a moment as his eyes watched and probed her – finally a tear reached the edge of her eye 'I'm scared of boats' she finally whispered in a barely audio voice. The Doctor crinkled his brow at her in question

'I know, stupid isn't it, Rose Tyler – can battle a fleet of Daleks but can't handle a boat'. The Doctor smiled and walked up to her, he put his hand on her trembling shoulders and looked down at her defensive smile

'It's not stupid – I'm scared of heights' he told her gently with a laugh. She half smiled at him before wrapping her arms around herself

'What happened?' he asked her finally. She looked down at her feet and frowned

'When I was a kid, I nearly drowned – fell off a raft we made and got stuck underneath it' she finally whispered. 'Never been on a boat since' she added quietly after.

'Until now' the Doctor said 'Until I brought you to one' he sounded disgusted with himself. She smiled up at him

'But I've got you to look after me' she said with a twinkle in her eyes, the Doctor grinned at her

'Yes you have' he agreed. Rose beamed at him for a moment

'So found anything yet?' she finally asked, changing the subject to more comfortable territory.

'Not yet' he told her 'But I did find all these clothes for you' he told her with a smile gesturing at the top bunk. Rose's face lit up

'Wow! They're so beautiful! But what they for?' she asked after a moment.

'Its 1912 – you can't walk around like that' he told her gesturing at her current outfit. She let out a sigh and looked at the clothes on the bed before her

'Alright – I'll get changed then we'll go looking, yeah?' she asked. He nodded at her

'Right then – you – leave' she said gesturing at the door. He grinned to himself

'As you wish Madam'

She turned around and stuck her tongue out at him, a smile on her face as the door shut behind him. She picked up one dress after another and began on the endless decision of what to wear.


	7. Chapter 7

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Making It Count

Chapter Seven

The ship was in a silence as the passengers slept, only the roar of the engines echoed through the empty corridors as the sun began to shun the moon back into darkness. Its light began to fill the sky, the black of the night was broken into by the rays of amber and gold that broke through the crisp morning clouds.

On the E deck the Doctor leant his head against the wall, closing his eyes as he remembered his time on this ship. Two floors above him the same Doctor – a younger Doctor, rested his head on the glass window of his room as he watched the day break over the waves. A new day for a new beginning – or so he hoped.

Within their room, Rose was trying to try the fine laces of her corset with her hands twisted around her back. She let out a sigh when the dress wouldn't stay put and let it fall to the floor so that she stood there in just her knickers. She picked up the dress and propped it onto the bed, she looked at its beautiful jewels and sighed – she knew she couldn't wear it during the day. She began to look through the pile until she found a simple yellow dress. She pulled her petticoat over her head, shaking out her curls as they fell over her forehead. She then stepped into the dress and tied in carefully as she slid into it, she popped her arms into the sleeves which ran down to her elbows and fluffed out her petticoat. She then turned to the mirror and grinned at her reflection, she twirled around the room so that the dress swirled at her feet – she let out a giggle

'Rose! You done yet?' the Doctor called through the door. Rose glanced over her shoulder at the shut door

'Almost…hang on' she hollered back as she began to shake out all her curls. She began to pin them up against her head but finally gave up, she picked a few curls and pulled them off her face pinning them to the back of her head, she then looked through her pile and found a simple yellow ribbon to tie them back with. She shook out her dress and inspected herself in the mirror

'Right – I'm done' she called out 'but you can't laugh' she added afterwards in a worried tone. She bit her lip as the door handle turned, the Doctor grinned in anticipation as he swung the door open. The first thing he saw was the mess of abandoned dresses strewn all over the place, then his eye was drawn to Rose. He saw her watching him as he took in her beauty, the lemon yellow set off her curls and her eyes blinked unsurely at him. He grinned at her

'Well?' she finally grumbled, hoping for his approval – she knew she had it when his face burst into a manic grin. He held his hand out to her

'I'd be proud to call you my wife' he whispered softly as he pressed a kiss to her hand. She blushed and smiled back at him not knowing what to say,

'Fancy a walk on the deck my dear?' the Doctor asked in his best voice. Rose laughed at him

'Go on then' she replied in her cockney accent. Hand in hand they walked up the flights of stairs and towards C deck where the third class promenade was situated.

Two decks above them, on deck A, the Doctor walked through the first class promenade. The sun burned his eyes as he walked across the deck and in his minds eye he saw the flames of Gallifrey burning. He leant over the railing and looked out over the deep ocean, to him it was pure beauty.

Rose's face lit up in the fresh morning sun, the golden light bounced off her curls causing her to shine like and angel. Her hand was still wrapped within the Doctors as they walked along the deck. She paused against the railings and looked out over the ocean, it seemed to stretch on for thousands and thousands of miles – the horizon seemed so far away in its glistening beauty.

'It's beautiful isn't it' she murmured softly. The Doctor looked at her and smiled softly

'Definitely' he replied watching her – suddenly her face fell into a frown.

'Doctor' she said quietly, he watched her face and squeezed her hand

'Yeah?'

'How long do they have?' she whispered as she looked at children kicking a ball around the deck, as lovers embraced on benches, as couples old and young walked along the deck smiling in the morning sun. The Doctor moved his hand to her waist and pulled her closer, he bent slightly so that his face was nearer to hers

'Today's Friday – and the ship goes down on Sunday…so they have three days' he told her softly as he felt her tremble. She turned to look at him, her eyes worried

'Isn't there anything we can do?' she asked quietly, but he could see the desperation in her eyes. He shook his head slowly

'We can't change history, all we can do is find out why we're here' he told her sadly. Rose bit her lip and turned back to look out over the ocean – an ocean where she knew thousands would drown in just three days and she shivered. The Doctor watched her and felt his heart tug for her, he knew what she felt, how she wanted to save them, and for that he admired her day after day, for her bravery and for her hope. Despite being stuck her – despite her own risk of death, all she wanted was to save everyone else. And it was for that reason he loved her – and for that reason he would always love her, until…until the end.


	8. Chapter 8

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Making It Count

Chapter Eight

When the sun had finally reached the sky so that it's light shone down over them, the Doctor forced himself to tear his eyes away from Rose.

'Right then' he began, she turned away from the sea and looked at him – her eyes still held a slight worry

'So what we gunna do?' she asked him with a frown. He grinned his familiar smile at her and began to dig around in his pocket until he pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver. He held it proudly up into the air and pushed the button so that the blue light shone into Rose's face. She hit his arm with a glare

'Oi! I'm not alien!' she warned him. He chucked and winked at her

'Never hurts to check' he teased.

'Ooo, ha ha' she glared as the familiar buzz of the Sonic Screwdriver burned in her ears. When he didn't stop waving the probe around she stared hard at him

'Doctor?' she said softly as he frowned, he shushed her and squinted as he listened to the Sonic Screwdriver. Rose raised her eyebrows at his eccentricity; she stood watching as he began to walk away from her, following a sound that only he could hear. She followed him with her eyes and then tore her gaze back to the sea, a small smile decorated her face as she turned into the other direction – he wasn't the only one who could do some exploring.

Rose lightly descended the steps and squinted across the deck before her, there was something she saw that made her heart stop and her words catch in her mouth. She began to walk slowly forwards watching as the sunlight sparkled off the back of a battered leather jacket. Rose took a deep breath and knew it might be coincidence, but she also knew very well that it might be the Doctor. She felt her heart begin to pound as she realised it could be him; she began to take longer strides as she walked purposefully towards him. When she had reached him she paused directly behind him, she reached her hand out – it was slightly trembling, and paused before it touched the battered leather that she had so often clung to for comfort.

He then turned around before her, as he did his jacket brushed against her hands slightly and she shuddered in reaction. She pulled her hands back and stared up at him opened mouthed

'Doctor…'she whispered so that he could barely hear her. He frowned at her, his blue eyes questioning and his face pulled into a frown

'What?' he asked. Rose shook her head and coughed loudly

'Doctor…I need a Doctor' she lied as she tried to cover herself. When she looked into his piecing blue eyes she couldn't help but see the darkness that haunted them. He studied her as though he was torn whether to walk away or to stay, but there was something in the intensity of her hazel eyes that drew him in. He smiled brightly at her – a smile Rose could never forget

'Good. I am a Doctor' he told her confidently. Rose let a smile take over her face as he wrapped his arm around her to help her over to the nearby bench. She fell easily into his side, walking step in step just as they had done a little over a year ago. When he sat her down on the bench he knelt in front of her watching her eyes

'So what's wrong?' he asked her softly. Rose watched him for a moment as she tried to think of an excuse

'Everything' she whispered after a moment as she fell back into her old ways with him. When he softly placed one of his worn hands upon hers she watched it and smiled sadly, tears forming on the edge of her eyes.

'Want to talk about it?' he asked after a moment – Rose shook her head and just squeezed his hand. He nodded in understanding and sat beside her on the bench in silence. They both hid their secrets as they became unknown to each other – Rose barely refraining from sobbing as her best friend sat beside her, and the Doctor barely collapsing as someone cared about him. They sat together in silence as the day drew on, neither of them speaking and neither of them moving – but both remembering. Rose remembering the Doctor she'd lost, the Doctor she'd loved, and him remembering all the people he had lost.

Hours later when the sun was high in the sky and they'd been sitting there for hours, they finally moved. The Doctor looked at her and smiled, trying to brush off a feeling that had come over him – Rose gave him a gentle smile and swallowed quickly as she began to worry about her Doctor coming after her, her Doctor finding out what she'd done – after she'd disobeyed him.

The Doctor looked down at her and grinned

'Was a pleasure to meet you' he told her warmly, Rose nodded in agreement. As she began to walk away from him, her hand slipped from his and as soon as her back was to him tears began to fall down her face. Walking blinding ahead, gently sobbing as she remembered the feel of his leathery hand in hers she allowed herself to weep – not looking ahead she walked into a solid object. Blinking away her tears, she barely glanced up as she offered a rushed apology, eager to get away but someone stopped her. She looked up and she had walked into the Doctor – her Doctor, he studied her face intently and lifted his fingers to her cheeks to inspect the tears that ran down her face. He frowned deeply and brushed the tears away

'Rose, what's happened?' he asked softly with a sharp edge on his voice. His veins laced with anger as he thought of someone hurting her, as she shook her head he felt his anger grown

'Rose?' he asked her again – she shook her head more vigorously so that her tears fell onto his shirt and tried to pull away. He looked around to see if he could see anyone who might know what had happened – and then he saw him. He looked from the weeping Rose to his former self and knew exactly what had happened.


	9. Chapter 9

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Making It Count

Chapter Nine

When the Doctor looked over her head, Rose knew instantly what he was looking at. She took in a deep breath and stood still as silence fell upon them. The Doctor looked from her to his former self and then back down at her again, his eyes were confused and slightly laced with anger.

'Did you…?' he asked quietly trailing off. When she didn't reply, he knew that she had

'You spoke to him' he said coldly. Rose winced at his tone but she didn't move, she closed her eyes as she took in a deep breath before slowly raising her chin so that her eyes met his.

'Did you tell him who you were?' he asked. She gently nodded as his face fell

'I told him my name' she said softly, her voice barely a whisper. The Doctor looked at her in disbelief, Rose could see the disappointment that filled his eyes.

'You told him your name' he repeated emotionlessly. Rose didn't reply, she only watched him, her brow falling into a crinkle. Rose placed her hand on his arm

'Doctor…' she said slowly. He moved his arm so that her hand fell off and he looked at her, she drew in a deep breath at his gaze and then he turned away from her. She watched as he walked slowly away, his steps long and powerful as his back faded away from her

'Doctor!' she called out after him – he ignored her.

Rose watched as she disappeared, she leant back against the railing beside her and dropped down to the floor. She angrily wiped the tears off that marked her face, disgusted with herself for crying over him. She leant her head forward against her knees and let out a sigh, she couldn't understand what she had done wrong – it wasn't as though she'd told him about the new Doctor.

She leant her head back against the cool metal of the railings and looked up to the sky that was dappled with clouds, she shivered as the cool breeze swept over the ship cooling her skin. She squinted at the sun before looking at the horizon, then she let out a disgruntled sigh – she wasn't going to sit around moping. Instead she stood up, she wiped her face and looked around.

'Now if I were an alien, where would I hide' she murmured to herself as she looked around at the endless white doors. Biting her lip she looked at them all, then she shrugged and let herself through the nearest one. She found herself in a service corridor, the lighting was dark and a faint buzzing filled the air. She winced at the sound and began to slowly walk along the corridor, feeling as the boat gently glided over the waves. She leant her hand on the wall and felt a tremor going through the ship – exactly in time with the buzzing.

Pushing her golden curls back behind her ears, Rose hiked up her skirts and began to walk more purposely towards the end of the corridor. She finally reached a door at the end where she figured the buzzing was coming from, she placed her hand on the knob to find it warm beneath her skin – burning in fact. She let out a gasp and pulled her hand back. Frowning, she lifted up her skirt and wrapped it around the handle as she prepared to open it

'Wait' a voice called down the corridor. Rose dived back against the wall hoping not to be seen, she pulled all her layers of skirts towards her and held her breath as she moved towards the nearest door. The handle turned easily under her hand and she stepped back into the room as the voices became nearer. As soon as she stepped back, she realised she wasn't alone, instead a hand pressed over her mouth silencing her scream, and the door quickly closed.

Rose sunk her teeth into the hand that covered her mouth and swung her leg out prepared to kick her attack her – then he turned her around. Rose gasped as she saw it was the Doctor who was holding her, his eyes were still darkened but a faint amusement lit them now. He glanced at her meaningfully and she nodded – he took his hand off her mouth and she remained silent. He inspected his palm and the tooth imprints that marked it and a faint smile fell onto his mouth. He raised an eyebrow at her and she just glared in return

'What was I supposed to do?' she hissed. He chuckled and took her hand, gently dragging her towards a door at the end of the room. The Doctor lead them through it and they were back into another corridor, once they were there Rose looked at their hands still gently intertwined. The Doctor looked at their hands as well, then he looked up at her, both of them glancing uncomfortably. As their hands fell apart, Rose closed her eyes, she took in a deep breath, determined not to let him see her cry.

'What you doing here?' she finally asked.

'Same as you by the looks of it' he replied. The looked at her again then opened his mouth looking pained

'Rose…'

'Don't' she interrupted him. She watched his eyes for a moment and knew what he was going to say, so instead she changed the subject

'I heard something behind that door' she told him quietly. He nodded

'So did I'. A faint smile tugged on the corner of her cheeks but it instantly dropped as he tried again

'Rose….'

'Please' she whispered 'I know what you're gunna say, and I'm sorry alright. I couldn't help myself'.

He stared at her bemused

'What am I gunna say then?' he asked quietly. She glanced up at him, tears glittering in the corners of her eyes

'You're gunna say you're disappointed in me, that you're mad at me, that I should know better, and that I've ruined everything. And you're right okay! You're right, I shouldn't have done it but I did, so can we just stop this now?' she barked. When she saw him smiling she glared up at him

'What's so funny?'

'You are' he murmured smiling, Rose frowned at him

'Are you mocking me?' she whispered in disbelief. He shook his head and took her hands

'No! God no! I'd know better than that' he laughed – Rose gave him a small smile before taking a deep breath

'I don't want you to be disappointed in me' she told him softly, 'and I'm sorry that I spoke to him, I really am, but I needed to. Cos you just changed – just like that, no warning or nothing, and….and sometimes I miss him okay?' she whispered with tears falling onto her cheeks. He gently wiped her tears away

'I know you do, and it's okay' he murmured, Rose let out a half laugh

'So we okay? Cos you got me standing here crying like an idiot' she grumbled. The Doctor grinned at her and squeezed her hands

'We're more than okay'. She smiled back at him, then she looked up at him gently biting her lip

'Then….how comes you stormed off?' she asked quietly. The Doctor closed his eyes and raised his hands to her face before looking down at her

'Rose…did you never wonder why I asked you twice?' he said softly with a smile. Rose frowned at him

'Asked me what?' she murmured confused.

'Why I asked you to come with me. You're the only person I ever asked twice' he told her softly, with the truth of his words apparent in his smile. Rose grinned at him and hit his arm, she shook her head at him before wrapping her arms around him. He laughed down into her hair as he held her close to him

'Thank you' she whispered 'Thank you so much'.


	10. Chapter 10

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Making It Count

Chapter Ten

The Doctor had lead Rose away from the corridor and back towards their darkened room, he took her hand and carefully guided her through the corridor as sleep set upon the passengers of the Titanic.

When they reached their room, the Doctor let out a sigh and took of his coat, which was shortly followed by the removal of his jacket which he slung on a stool which stood in the corner of the room. Rose watched him and shifted uncomfortably in her heavy dress, she began to unhook the back and allow the heavy layers to fall off until she was left standing in her stockings and petticoats which more than concealed her.

The Doctor turned around and raised an eyebrow with a smirk as he tugged his tie down and unbuttoned the collar of hit shirt. He then turned so that his hands rested against the window frame as he looked ahead out over the ocean which crashed against them.

Rose pulled the pins out of her hair and shook it out so that the golden curls tumbled over her shoulders, she leant back against the edge of the bed and looked at the Doctor.

'April 13th' he murmured softly as he gently ran his fingers through his hair. Rose frowned as she thought

'We hit the iceberg tomorrow' he told her quietly. Rose bit her lip as she watched his composure, she opened her mouth to speak then paused again.

'What's behind that door?' she finally asked after a moment, breaking the deadly silence of the room. The Doctor shrugged as he turned around to face her

'I don't know' he murmured as he drew in a deep breath, 'but we'll find out soon!' he added cheerily. Rose smiled gently at his forced enthusiasm. He studied her for a moment, his eyes seeing through her fake smile. He walked slowly towards her and placed his arms on the nape of her neck, he looked down into her eyes, his face set in serious lines.

'Rose, I promised I'd get you off of this ship and I will' he told her sternly. Rose looked up at him and smiled

'I believe you' she said with a smile before letting out a sigh. 'A day?' she asked, 'is that really all we have?'. He nodded sadly and she began to chew on her bottom lip. The Doctor moved away from her to look out the window again, the waves lapped hungrily against the side of the ship, and he knew that soon the waves would lap hungrily on the bodies of the dead.

When he turned back around he saw Rose yawning, a small smile fitted his face as he walked over to her

'You, are going to bed' he told her, when she opened her mouth to protest he just shook his head 'A sleepy helper makes a useless helper' he chided her with a smile. She shook her head at him and looked over longingly to the bed. He placed a hand gently on her arm

'Go. Sleep. We'll fix it in the morning. We have all the time in the world' he promised her. Rose nodded sleepily and crawled into the bed, the cloth of the petticoats scratching against her skin. The Doctor watched her as she fell into an innocent sleep, he didn't join her, instead he rested against the water reliving the events in his head.

The Doctor scratched his head and leant back against the wall – he couldn't think. His head was throbbing with worry as he thought of Rose – his Rose drowning on the Titanic.

He sat on the floor of their room, scribbling onto a piece of paper for hours as he tried to figure out a way of overriding the Tardis controls so he could force the ship to be moved. But so far he had come up with nothing. As he frantically scribbled on paper a small voice broke through his thoughts

'Doctor?'. He looked up to see Rose standing against the window, her face pale as the moonlight reflected on her face, her eyes shinning with unshed tears as she bit on her bottom lip. Her petticoats swam around her legs, giving her the appearance of a ghost

'Rose?' he asked softly as he began to stand up. She turned so that her back was to him and her face pressed against the cold window of their room. The Doctor walked up from behind her, placing his hands on her waist. His head rested on her shoulder as he looked out of the window with her

'How cold is it?' she asked quietly. He frowned as he remembered the feeling of the freezing water tearing at his limbs,

'Very' he replied gently. Rose nodded her head slowly

'I'm not a very good swimmer' she murmured. He let a humourless smile rest on his lips as he wrapped his arms around her stomach.

'Why would you need to swim?' he asked her softly, 'You're not going in any water'. She smiled softly then turned her head round to look at him

'I'm not stupid Doctor' she told him

'I know you're not' he replied confidently.

'What are the chances of us making it off this ship alive?' she asked with wide, worried eyes. He let out a sigh and raised his hands to frame her face.

'Rose' he began softly, 'even if worse came to worse, we still have the Tardis. We can sit in her whilst the ship sinks around us' he told her trying to reassure her. Her eyes slightly widened at this idea

'Would the Tardis float or sink?' she asked. He shrugged

'Guess we'll find out' he laughed. Rose shook her head again

'I don't like it. I don't like this. Why do we get to live and everyone else has to die? Why?' she asked as tears formed on the edge of her eyes. The Doctor frowned and looked over her head and out of the little window

'Because we can't save them Rose. We can't change the past.' He told her with a hint of hatred on his voice – hatred for himself. She sucked in a deep breath of air and closed her eyes before slowly nodding – she knew this, but she couldn't accept it.

'Come on, lets get some sleep' he murmured as he pulled her into the bed beside him. She fell asleep quickly, her feet entwined with his and her face resting against the pillows. He tucked his arms around her tummy and pulled her close to him

'I won't let anybody hurt you Rose' he promised as he softly kissed her hair. 'Even if it means drowning. Again'.

Only the sound of the ships engines filled the air as the Doctor made his promises to Rose – soon morning would be upon them and their fate would be known.


	11. Chapter 11

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Making It Count

Chapter Eleven

As the sun slowly crawled into the sky, the Doctor was already on the promenade watching over the sea. He had his black leather jacket pulled tightly around him, and he ran his fingers through his short brown hair as he leant his head on his hands. He had left the first class breakfast room so that he could be outside with the simple peace of the sea. He savoured the sights around him, the ones of no war, no blood, no fire and no Daleks. He let out a sigh as he tried to let go of the Time War and as he tried to move on with his life. Only his mind kept wandering back to one thought – the mysterious blonde on the deck.

Down in the third class accommodation, the Doctor and Rose were still asleep. The had tossed and turned throughout the night so that Rose's face was now resting on the Doctor's chest, her arms were wrapped tightly around his, and her legs were locked within his. He held her to him, his fingers locked within her hair as he listened to the sound of her gentle breaths all night.

Rose felt sleep drain away from her, but she kept her eyes closed hoping that all their problems would just drain away, she listened to the sound of his twin heartbeat gently soothing her as she breathed slowly. It wasn't until she could feel the Doctors eyes staring down at her, that she opened her own eyes.

Soon they had dragged themselves out of bed and readjusted their clothing. Rose adorned a light walking dress that was a pale yellow, matching her hair which had been pinned back on top of her head. The Doctor had readjusted his tie and his suit jacket, he ran his fingers through his hair and glanced out the window. He knew they had just 24 hours until the ship hit the iceberg, but he wasn't going to let Rose catch on to his worry.

Instead he held his hand out

'Ready my lady?' he asked with a grin, she grasped his hand and gave him a cautious smile as his promises from last night floated through her head

'As always' she murmured. He grinned at her as they set off down the corridor and towards the steerage level. As they walked through the many corridors, Rose began to excite as she watched the people of this time walk on by. She saw women her own age married, pregnant with child, wearing forced smiles upon their faces. Rose began to stare after these women, her heart aching for them, almost grateful that she wasn't confound to the same fate as them. The Doctor noticed this, and gently squeezed her hand as he led her through the many corridors as they moved further and further below deck.

Soon they had reached lower deck G, and were slowly moving through the corridors away from some of the third class accommodation, and towards the side of the ship that harboured the boilers. The Doctor knew that the deck directly below the boilers was where the storage was. He glanced around the corridor and pulled Rose up against the wall beside him, he gave her a fleeting grin as he pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver and began to open a small hatch with it. He looked around again as the small door fell off, then he began to climb down the tiny ladder.

Rose listened as his feet hit the floor below him, then she hiked up her skirts and began to manoeuvre herself onto the ladder.

'Careful' the Doctor called out from below as he looked up to see a flood of skirts heading towards him.

'Don't see why I can't just wear trousers' Rose grumbled as she carefully came down the tiny step ladder.

'Because' the Doctor called up the ladder, 'you wouldn't fit in would you? He reminded her. Rose pulled a face that the Doctor couldn't see before she reached the final steps. He offered his hand out for a means of support, but she ignored it and jumped to the floor. The Doctor grinned at her before turning to look at where they were.

They'd reached the Orlop deck where the cargo was kept, Rose frowned and pressed her hands over her ears as the buzzing of the turbine engines came through the wall from next door. The Doctor looked around and opened some doors

'Ah!' he declared happily

'What?' Rose asked as she hiked up her skirts to follow his brisk pace

The Doctor was grinning as he called back over his shoulder

'One banana, two banana, three banana, catch!' he shouted as he threw a handful of banana chips at Rose. She caught them and inspected them in her hand; she raised an eyebrow at him

'Dried banana chips?' she asked

'A great source of potassium-' he begun but Rose cut him off as she shook her head

'Yes I know, I know' she mumbled. He grinned as he ate the banana chips

'This means we are in the dried fruit storage, so if we go left, and carry on, we will go past all the boilers and to the storage!' he declared as he started happily out of the room. Rose sighed and followed him, smiling slightly as she munched on her banana chips

'Always take a banana to a party Rose' she mocked quietly before mumbling to herself 'this is no party'.

She followed the Doctor down the corridors past electric engines, turbine engines, and reciprocating engines, as he told her of how he had invented each one by himself.

'Wow…we humans would be lost without you' she murmured sarcastically as she lifted her heavy skirts. He turned around and winked at her with a familiar grin

'Don't ya just know it'. Rose shook her head and threw a banana chip at his head – and then they heard the buzzing.


	12. Chapter 12

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Making It Count

Chapter Twelve

When the Doctor reached the door he held up a hand silently warning Rose to stay back, she frowned as he did but obeyed. He placed his hand on the door knob to test the temperature

'This ones hot as well' he murmured, Rose's brow crinkled

'What does it mean?' she asked. He turned around and grinned

'That the heat from the boilers is making it hot in here' he laughed. She gave him a glare before feeling the heat for herself, she wiped her brow as sweat began to form on it.

'Is it s'posed to be this hot?' she asked as she panted underneath her layers of clothing. The Doctor shrugged

'Might be. Can't say I've ever really worked in a boiler room'. Rose gave a sarcastic gasp

'You've never been in a boiler room? Well well' . He shot her a look before returning to the door as she smiled to herself.

The Doctor pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver and Rose watched as it shed out its blue light as the door clicked open. The Doctor smiled triumphantly as he turned the knob in his hand and slowly opened the door. It creaked on its hinges despite the newness of it – the Doctor ignored this and walked straight in with Rose following closely behind.

The first thing Rose noticed when she walked into the darkened room was the intensity of the heat, the second thing she noticed was the buzzing that was deafening. The Doctor frowned as he lifted the Sonic Screwdriver and began to look around. They were at the very front of the ship, at the very bottom – Rose realised this meant they were below the ocean and she shivered slightly.

The Doctor began to peer into the cars that filled the hold around them; they were in the motor car storage section. Rose followed him, almost finding it difficult to breathe from the heat – she pulled in difficult breaths and followed the Doctor.

As he inspected various cars and boots, Rose noticed a door on their left. She walked up to it and tried to open it – the handle was locked. She frowned and squinted through the darkness to read the metal plate that was nailed to the door

'Number Two hatch' she murmured around as she ran her fingers over the metal – a movement she instantly regretted as the heat burnt her finger tips. She swore under her breath and moved over to where she had last seen the Doctor. When she could no longer see him, she shrugged to herself and moved nearer to the lines of vacant cars, she peered within the windows and could see nothing. She sighed and wiped away more sweat that was forming rapidly on her brow.

The Doctor had moved further into the darkened cabin, the heat wasn't really affecting him as he moved further and further through the lines of the parked cars. He frowned as the Sonic Screwdriver picked up a frequency that caused the tiny mechanism to release a horrific buzz. When he heard Rose cry out, he instantly turned it off, plunging himself into darkness.

'Doctor?' he heard Rose warily call out.

'Yep. Up here' he called back

'What was that noise?' she asked worriedly, sounding very far away. The Doctor frowned at the distance then shrugged – he knew she could handle herself.

'Just the good old Sonic Screwdriver' he replied confidently. When she didn't reply he called out again

'Rose?'

'Yeah, I'm fine' she replied as she panted for breath. The Doctor didn't know that she had paused to lean against one of the parked cars as she tried to catch her breath in the unbearable heat.

'If you're sure' he murmured as he caught the sight of movement.

Rose nodded even though he couldn't see her as she leant back on the car, her blonde hair had began to plaster to her forehead and her clothes stuck to her. Rose pulled at all the layers of cotton but couldn't move them

'Stupid clothes' she spat as she thought of her nice comfy jeans. She couldn't help but noticed that not only was the temperature rising, but the humidity was as well making it nearly impossible to breathe. She tried to stand up but found the world became dotted with black and spun around – so she dropped back down to the floor and focused on her breathing as she swore at herself for her helplessness.

The Doctor moved forward slowly, unsure of his footing in the darkened room, he noticed that as he got closer what he thought had been movement was in fact light. The Doctor walked forwards until his foot hit the side of a metal box, it looked like a car – it was the same size, but it was in fact a large metal box. The Doctor frowned and circled it as he saw light seeping out from the edges of the lid. He tapped the top and instantly pulled his hand back as it burned – he realised this was where the heat was coming from. The Doctor lifted the Sonic Screwdriver to the edge of the box and held on to the edge as the lid began to peal away, as soon as the light started pouring out of it the heat began to burn through the room. The Doctor stepped back as the heat became stronger and as he realised what it was

'Rose!' he shouted.

But Rose couldn't hear him, she was lying against the car with her face pressed against the burning floor, she could only feel the heat intensify until she could breathe no more.


	13. Chapter 13

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Making It Count

Chapter Thirteen

The Doctor turned the Sonic Screwdriver towards the box but it was no use, the box continued to open as the Doctor turned and frantically scanned the darkness. The heat was beginning to get to him as he began to run through the hundreds of lines of cars, having absolutely no idea where he was going or what direction he was heading in.

'Rose?' he called out, searching for her before the heat reached her – when she didn't reply he could only fear the worst.

The Doctor's feet pounded on the metal floor that was heating up, and he tried to breathe as the heat clung to him like a cloak. He could have easily fallen down in the heat and just lain there, but it was the image of her in his mind that kept him going as he battled the overwhelming urge.

Rose was lying on the floor – her chest barley rising and falling as she fought to breathe, the heat was burning through her and was worse than what she could ever imagine the desert to be like.

The Doctor struggled to take his steps through the mounds of cars, every now and then stopping as he rested against the bonnet of a car as sweat dripped down his features.

'Rose' he called out again, his eyes frantically searching the darkness – still unable to see her.

The buzzing from earlier began to tear through the room, making the entire situation unbearable; the Doctor pressed his hands over his ears and dragged his legs through the narrow lines of cars as he frantically searched for his companion.

When he finally saw her, his hearts stopped. He saw her figure lying between the cars, then he ran to her. He reached her side within moments and looked down, her face was dampened by sweat, her cheeks were a deep red as her skin flushed. Her heavy dress clung to her and her face was pressed against the floor. The Doctor ran a finger down her burning cheek

'Rose?' he asked softly, when he go no reply, he asked louder

'Rose?' she still didn't reply. He pressed his ear against her mouth and could barely hear the sound of her breath escaping her mouth. He picked her up, wincing as he heard a faint sizzle as her cheek left the burning metal. He held her in his arms and forced himself to walk – he had no idea where he was going, he just knew he couldn't leave her in here.

Her head rolled over his arm as he wobbled in his attempt to walk, he glanced around and couldn't see the door where they had come in from, he tried not to let panic over take him as he tried to think rationally.

He slowly moved towards one of the walls, and followed in what he hoped was the opposite direction of the heat. With one shoulder leaning against the wall he walked slowly along it, hoping to feel a doorframe somewhere. After minutes of searching the Doctor hit a small door. The white light that created heat allowed him to read the small metal plate

'Number two hatch' he murmured aloud as he sucked in more air. He dropped Rose down so that her feet were on the floor, but she was leaning against his body supported by his arm, her head lolled against his shoulder. He frowned down at her, and dug around his pocket until his fingers fell against the burning metal of the Sonic Screwdriver. Wincing, he held it against the door, pressing the button until the frame finally opened. The Doctor leant on it and pushed it forward so that both him and Rose fell through.

They landed on the carpeted floor and the Doctor kicked the door shut behind them. This room was much cooler in comparison to the other one, but it was still warm. He ripped his coat and jacket of and moved to his knees to lean over Rose.

His hand was shaking and he wiped his sweat off his face as he looked down at her, he moved his hand to her face and gently stroked her cheek – it was burning underneath his fingers.

'Rose?' he asked softly, gaining no response. He sat back on his heels and looked down at her – he noticed she was definitely breathing and he let out a sigh of relief. He gently stroked the curls that stuck to her face by sweat, away from her head. He moved them all off her face so all the remained was the pinkness of her skin covered in sweat. He watched as she gasped for breath and her eyes opened, she glanced frantically around as she heaved for air. The Doctor looked down over her

'It's okay Rose…it's okay' he murmured soothingly. Rose's brow furrowed and she raised her hands to her face to feel the dampness that drenched her.

'I'm too hot' she whimpered as she felt the world darken around her again

'Rose' the Doctor said harshly as he lent into her face 'Rose, stay with me' he commanded. She nodded weakly as she tried to pull at her clothes.

'I need them off' she whimpered as the sweat drench garments clung to her. The Doctor nodded and began to unbutton her dress for her; he gently pulled it off to find the fabric was soaking in his hands.

'The rest' she moaned, as she pulled at her layers of petticoats that stuck to her. The Doctor nodded and began to fumble with the fastenings as he tugged layer after layer of thin fabric off. Soon she was just lying there in her black girl boxers and her black bra, sweat marked her body and she lay there uncomfortable in the heat against the warm carpet.

The Doctor tugged his tie of and undid the first few buttons of his shirt hoping for the sweat stains on his blue shirt to disappear – whilst he tried not to look at Rose.

He glanced down and saw her face becoming less pink, except for the large red burn on the side of her face.

'Oh Rose' he murmured.


	14. Chapter 14

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Making It Count

Chapter Fourteen

Rose frowned as the Doctor stared at her face

'What?' she asked self consciously as she raised her hand to her face. She gingerly fingered her cheek to find herself wincing in pain. The Doctor frowned deeply and ran his fingers around the mark – she pulled away in reaction. The Doctor deepened his frown and ran his fingers around the tender skin

'You're burned' he murmured quietly – almost in disbelief. Rose raised her fingers to the sore patch on her cheek before raising them to wipe the sweat off her face. The Doctor saw er fingers trembling as they moved on the moisture that laced her skin; he gently took her fingers within his and moved so that her head rested on her lap. He looked down to see her entire body glistening with sweat. Rose leant her head on his lap – her good cheek pressed against his thigh, and her burnt cheek open to the hot air. He flattened her loose curls back against her head and watched as the redness that covered her body began to fade.

The Doctor's face was also returning to a normal colour but his hair was still plastered to his forehead, he brushed it away from his face and looked up to the ceiling.

'Doctor?' he heard a small voice call, he looked down to see Rose staring up at him

'Hmm?' he asked. Her eyes looked up into his; he could see their bloodshot rims but remained silent.

'What was it?' she asked weakly. The Doctor gently stroked her hair

'I don't know' he murmured thoughtfully

'Not a clue?' she asked with a tremble on her voice

'Well…I have a suspicion' he told her softly.

'Yeah?'

'Yep. But I'm rather hoping we're wrong' he said softly. She frowned up at him

'Why?' Rose asked quietly. The Doctor looked down into her troubled eyes and knew he couldn't tell her…because the answer was they wouldn't be able to move the Tardis – and he'd promised to get her off this ship. The Doctor ran his fingers through his hair and stared at the ceiling. Rose watched him and slipped her fingers into his

'We can't leave can we?' she whispered with a sense of intuition. The Doctor smiled at her and her knowledge and slowly shook her head as he watched her troubled eyes.

'But it doesn't change anything' he promised her, she raised an eyebrow at him 'I said I'd get you off this ship and I will' he vowed. Rose smiled at him and squeezed his hand

'Don't worry' she whispered as she rubbed her tingling body

'How can I not?' he murmured for his ears only

As Rose lay, she realised she wasn't cooling down – she could feel the carpet burning into her back, she could feel her cheek burning like a fire, she could feel the perspiration dripping down her face, and she could feel her necklace burning into her chest. She raised her fingers to the heated chain and gently fingered the Tardis key which burned in her grasp.

She tried to ignore this by focusing on the Doctor, whose face was becoming a blur as she stared up at him – so instead she closed her eyes as she spoke.

'You're always right you know' she murmured

'Yeah…s'pose you're right' he murmured with a faint smile – one that left the moment he saw her lying with her eyes shut.

'So what do you think it is?' Rose asked – the Doctor was shocked by the weakness of her voice.

'Well…' he replied as he stared at her worriedly before taking a deep breath, 'It's a calefaction electric voltaic cell' he told her simply. Rose rolled her head back to stare blankly up at him; he smiled at this familiar response but frowned as her eyes dropped closed again.

He gently ran a finger down her cheek

'Rose?' he murmured

'Hmm?' she replied as she struggled for breath again.

'Don't you wanna know what that means?' he asked worriedly at her lack of response. Rose clung to his fingers

'Yeah…sure' she mumbled. He frowned at her but didn't reply until she let out a sigh

'Go on…tell me' she pleaded half heartedly.

'Well if you insist' he murmured. 'It's just a battery' he said simply. 'A heat storing battery'

'Oh' she muttered, 'What's the battery for?' she tried to think as her brain swarmed into a fog.

'Well' the Doctor murmured 'It's been taking energy from the ship to feed the power source, but then we came flying on by and bam! We are a much bigger power source, and I mean much bigger, so it pulls us in and tries to drain the Tardis – which is why the poor old girl can't fly' he paused for a breath 'so the Tardis has been anchored until whoever is controlling the battery can figure out how to break into the Tardis sources – which you'd need to be a genius to figure out, so the Tardis is safe, but we can't move her until we disable the battery' he declared triumphantly at his plan.

He looked down to see Rose gasping for breath as she leant against his leg, her fingers tugged gently on his and he could feel her tremble as sweat poured over her bare skin.

'Rose?' the Doctor asked frantically, 'Rose what's wrong?'

She didn't reply but she twisted in pain, the Doctor glanced at her neck and saw her Tardis key burning with light and the Doctors face fell

'Damnit…' he muttered as the pieces fell together, 'except I opened the battery so all the energy left – I drained it. So it's got to recharge…and what's the biggest power source around - the Tardis. So….so it's using the key to complete the circuit' he realised as he felt his own key begin to burn in his pocket, he threw it on the floor then grabbed Rose's necklace. He winced as the metal of the chain burned around his fingers, but he could see the key glowing white with heat as it began to burn into her skin. He tore it away from her neck, the links in the chain crumbling under the heat – the Doctor cried out as he threw it to the floor.

'Rose!' he shouted at her limp body which continued to turn red, and then he remembered.

'Oh no…' he whispered as he realised 'The key isn't the main access route to the Tardis power, oh my Rose' he whispered as he stroked her damp hair from her face 'They're using you…you saw into the Tardis's power – you know the way to her source, oh my Rose, their killing you'.


	15. Chapter 15

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Making It Count

Chapter Fifteen 

'Damn it' the Doctor swore as he picked up Rose's limp body in his arms, he could feel her soft skin heating underneath his fingertips as he stood up – he looked at the burning keys, and then back at her. In his mind he saw her absorbing the time vortex – for him, and he knew that's why she was dieing now, so he left the keys and instead picked up his coat and carefully draped it over her trembling body as he turned away from the room.

He looked at the door he had come through and thought of the battery – the battery that was draining the Tardis through Rose. He knew he couldn't take her anywhere near that battery because the hold over her would become stronger and he knew that would truly tear her apart.

Instead he looked at the tiny ladder that lead up, he frowned at the tiny metal bars but there was no doubt in his mind of what he had to do.

'Okay Rose' he murmured aloud – he knew it was unlikely she could hear him but it comforted him to talk to her. 'We're gunna go up this ladder – you and me, up to lower deck G, yeah. Then from there we can go up to…up to…' he trailed off as he felt her feverish skin 'You need to cool down…water – cold water, a bath!' he declared happily as he moved towards the lowest rung of the ladder 'But we're in third class…we don't have a bath' he trailed off as he kicked the ladder.

He placed Rose over his shoulder as he began to climb the ladder; he pulled her up through the hatch onto G deck. He glanced about at the fold away beds in the third class open berths, thankfully no one was around and he dropped her down onto one of the beds whilst he tried to think.

He walked over to the doors and locked them with the Sonic Screwdriver that was still safely in his trouser pocket. He walked back over to where Rose was laying and he saw his coat was already damp with perspiration; he pressed a hand to her soaking forehead and knew she was too hot. He saw a nearby glass of water and he gently dripped it onto her forehead hoping for a reaction.

Rose gave a soft whimper, her eyes not opening but her hand reaching out and searching. He grasped her hand instantly and pressed a kiss to it, he held it within his own as he whispered to her

'Rose? Can you hear me?' he asked, his voice almost crackling with emotion. He dripped some more of the cool water onto her face.

'More' she asked, her voice barely a whisper. The Doctor nodded and smiled

'That's my girl, talk to me, come on' he urged – but he got no response. The Doctor looked at her burning body and the cold water

'That's it! That's it my girl!' he declared as he dropped more water onto her face, gaining whimpers in response.

'I need a bath' he murmured as he tipped more water over her face

'We didn't have a bath' she whispered.

'I know…_we _didn't have a bath but I did. In my first class cabin – the other me has a bath!' he exclaimed 'Yes, now we just need to get you up there' he murmured as he looked down at her, she was wearing only her knickers and his coat, bright red burn marks blistered her skin.

'Right we need to get to deck C but this hatch only goes to deck D… ah well, we'll risk the stairs aye' he told her with a smile – she had stopped responding.

'Right then…onwards and upwards' he declared as he moved back to her despondent body. He carefully moved them up the ladder until they had reached the top. He rested against the wall leaning her body against his. He took in a deep breath as her skin continued to burn beneath his, he glanced at his watch

'Twelve o'clock' he murmured aloud 'We have to wait, till…till twelve thirty cos that's when I go up to the deck…yeah' he murmured aloud. He looked down to her closed eyes and he gently stroked one of her cheeks

'You hear me my sweet? Just be a minute or so' he quietly soothed her in the darkened hatch.

The thirty minutes slowly ticked by, each minute Rose became hotter and hotter until the Doctor was damp with her sweat.

'Time to move missy' he said softly into her ear. He glance down at her and knew he'd have to take her up the first class stairs and through to the cabins. He glanced at her wet hair sticking to her face, at her lack of clothes and the coat that covered her burnt body. He pulled the coat tightly around her and bundled her into his arms, with her damp hair hidden by the cloak he pulled her closer.

He let them out of the hatch and stood up talk, we walked briskly down the corridor, heads turning as he brushed past people who were finely dressed – much finer than him in his trousers and half unbuttoned shirt. He ignored their questioning gazes; he had only one focus – his Rose.

'Can I offer a hand sir?' one passing man asked

'No…no thanks, lady just fainted…be fine in a moment…ill just get her back to the room…' he mumbled over his shoulder

'I say, is your wife alright?'

'My wife' he repeated softly, a smile teetering on his lips before falling. He ignored everyone as he saw the door he needed – he prayed his calculations were right, and that his other self really was out. He pushed the door open and kicked it shut as he carefully placed Rose on the bed; he ran to the bathroom and began to turn the cold tap on so the freezing water filled the tub. As the bath slowly filled he sat on the edge of the toilet with his head in his hands as he listened to the bath drops falling in sync with her struggled breathing.

'I'll get you off this boat Rose, I promise' he vowed silently to himself as he tried to save her, and as he tried to save himself


	16. Chapter 16

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Making It Count

Chapter Sixteen

As the bath level began to rise with freezing water, the Doctor walked back over to where Rose was lying on the bed. He gently lifted the coat off of her body and stroked some hair off her face, he looked as the burn marks on her chest and neck whitened on the outside as blisters formed, and he looked as her skin turned red with the heat that was running through her.

He glanced impatiently at the bath that was still rising and knew he couldn't wait any longer. He looked down at her and framed her burning face with his cool hands

'Rose' he urged gently 'Rose', he got a mumble in response.

'Rose, I need you to trust me' he asked her gently; when he got no response he repeated it louder. 'Rose, please, I need you to trust me' – this time her head gently nodded in response. But it wasn't enough.

'Rose, please, open your eyes' he asked her – his voice almost shaking. Slowly one eye opened to peer up at him, it was red rimmed and bloodshot yet it stared up at him

'I need you to trust me' he whispered

'I trust you' she croaked as she closed her eyes again. The Doctor nodded to himself

'Right' he whispered, 'this had better work' he laughed nervously to himself as he picked up her fragile body and walked towards the bathroom with it. He saw the bath was half full of water, but he began to lower her into the icy water. He saw her wince as her burning skin hit the icy water – a slow whimper escaped her mouth as she settled to the bottom.

The Doctor left the taps running as the water began to crawl over her body, it swept over the reddened skin slowly cooling it and it seeped into her burns, but Rose gave no response.

The Doctor sat cross legged in the middle of the bathroom floor, his head resting against the edge of the tub as he waited – waited for it to work. He dropped his hand into the freezing water to hold hers, and he waited, like this, for her.

The Doctor pressed his hand against her forehead, to find her temperature lowing but still too hot – too hot for a human to handle. He glanced down at the body which was red with reaction as he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. Then he turned from the bathroom, shutting the door until he could barely see through the crack where he had left it ajar. He walked over to the main door and stuck his head out of the door; he called out to one of the many members of staff who loitered in the hallway

'Please, I need a bucket of ice' he called out. Many heads turned to stare at him but his stare was unwavering as he gave his commands. After a moment one of the younger men quickly turned and headed towards the kitchens – the Doctor nodded in thanks before he stepped back into the room.

Shortly, there was a knock on the door, the Doctor opened it and accepted the bucket of ice before promptly shutting the door in his face. He walked back to the bathroom and began to gently drop the ice cubes into the bath. He picked up the flannel that rested beside the tub, and he wrapped several ice cubes in it before pressing it to her forehead. He gently soothed it across her skin as he attempted to cool her.

Soon the ice cubes were melting in the water as they bashed against Rose's body, the Doctor still sat on the floor clutching her hand as he waited for her to awaken. He glanced up to notice her eyelids flickering, he squeezed her hand

'Rose?' he asked cautiously, almost as though he were afraid to believe it. Her eyes flickered in the bright light before falling shut again, the Doctor jumped up and pushed the wooden blinds back so that a few bars of light fell across her face. He leant down over the edge of the bath and gently squeezed her hands

'Rose?' he asked again – this time she replied

'Doctor?' she whimpered softly. The Doctors face lit up as he squeezed her hands, her eyes opened a crack so that she could stare at his face, she raised one shaky hand and pressed it against his palm, then she flung herself into his arms. The Doctor leant forward and caught her wet body, and pressed her against him, ignoring as the cold water marked his clothes.

'I was so hot' she whispered into his shoulder as she held onto him, he gently stroked her hair as he held her tightly

'I know you were' he murmured, 'But are you cooler now?' he asked as he looked worriedly down into her eyes. She nodded at him with a faint hint of a smile

'I'm still hot, but not as hot' she told him as she glanced at the ice cubes she was sitting in.

'So you put me on ice aye?' she asked with an almost familiar smile, he nodded at her, thankful for her being here. As she rested her head on his shoulder she raised her hand to her neck, it traced the red burn of the chain, and then her fingers fell onto the blistering skin where the key had rested. She winced and gasped with pain as the Doctor caught her hand and pulled it away. She looked down and then back up at him

'Where's my key?' she asked softly, he glanced down at her, still holding her within his arms

'I had to take it off – it was burning into you' he told her gently. Rose stared back at where the silver had once rested against his skin

'Where is it?' she asked softly

'I left it down there…with my key' he murmured. Rose bit her lip and looked back up at him, wincing as the skin around her burns stretched

'Rose…'

'But Doctor…'

They both froze as they heard the front door open and the shouts of a northern man calling out of the room – he was here.


	17. Chapter 17

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Making It Count

Chapter Seventeen 

The Doctor glanced frantically at Rose who gripped the sides of the tub with her whitened hands, Rose fumbled in the bath trying to stand, but she fell back down, too weak to rise. The Doctor moved forward and closed the bathroom door with a soft click; he turned back to Rose as he heard the sound of footsteps across the wooden floor of the room. Rose shook her head at the Doctor, her eyes wide as she whispered

'I can't get up'

He glanced worriedly at her as he surveyed the room – there was no were for them to hide. As the door handle began to move the Doctor stepped back into the shadows behind the door, Rose sunk down deeper into the bath, quite aware of her almost nudity. She sucked in a deep breath as the door swung open, her eyes never leaving the Doctor as he pressed himself against the wall trying to hide from himself.

As the door swung open Rose felt her heart almost flutter as the Doctor's former self stood before her, Rose stared at him, her eyes meeting the hard blue of his. He only raised an eyebrow in question as he studied the girl before him.

Rose bit her lip as she tried to think of something to say, as she tried to think of some lie that would vaguely be believable – yet her mind drew blank. She just lay in a bath of ice staring at a man who she trusted her life with, she watched his eyes as she absorbed the scene in front of him and as his intelligent mind tried to work out what was going on.

He opened his mouth then paused as he looked down at her again, Rose closed her eyes before slowing saying his name

'Doctor' she whispered, the syllable felt strange on her tongue – it was a word she said every day, but it was for another man. She loved them both but she didn't know who to turn to as both Doctor's stared at her, one from his hiding place and one from the centre of the room.

'Rose wasn't it?' he murmured as he began to circle the tub looking down at her. She nodded in response.

'And I suppose you have a reason as to why you are lying in my bath, most indecently dressed?' he asked with a faint twinkle in his eye that Rose recognised. She tried her very best not to smile as she gripped the edges of the tub

'I was feeling a bit faint…'she lied feebly.

'A bit faint?' he echoed, 'So you let yourself into my room, drew yourself a bath, took most your clothes off and settled down?' he asked as a blush covered her cheeks. Rose could think of nothing to reply to that so she just nodded her head in response.

'Hm, if I didn't know better, I would say something very strange is going on here wouldn't you Rose?' he murmured as he watched her thoughtfully. Rose tried very hard not to glance at her Doctor as she nodded weakly in response.

'And I also think that you're not going to tell me what it is' he said as he knelt beside the bath with his back against the Doctor. Rose nodded and shrugged as she silently urged the other Doctor to leave the room. She could tell from the slight movement in the shadows that he was preparing to do so and she took a deep breath as she prepared herself to lie to the Doctor she had lost.

Rose looked up at him, her eyes wide as she appealed to him,

'Please' she whispered 'Please just let me go'. The Doctor looked down at her, studying her eyes intently, he heaved a sigh as he watched her.

Rose swallowed heavily trying to watch him as she saw the other Doctor edging towards the door, when he was standing in the centre of the doorway he paused to look over her shoulder

'There's something about you Rose Tyler' he murmured, she gave him a small smile

'Trust me?' she asked softly. He looked at her once more and nodded – almost in disbelief of herself.

The tenth Doctor edge out of the doorway as he watched Rose give her smile to his former self, despite the fact it was himself he couldn't help but feel jealousy. He shook off the feeling and edged out of the room and into the hallway.

Rose took a deep breath once she realised the Doctor had gone and she turned to the one who knelt before her

'So you going to sit in my bath all day?' he asked. Rose laughed nervously and shook herself as her fingers gripped the edge of the tub as she tried to stand. The Doctor took her arms gently and helped her out of the bath, he kept her upright as she steadied herself on her feet, he took a sweeping glance at her and noticed her wounds. He moved his mouth to say something but Rose cut him off shaking her head, he raised an eyebrow at her but said no more.

'Clothes?' he asked after a moment. Rose shrugged at him

'Lost them when I was fainting' she murmured. He nodded and turned from her into the other room. Rose clung on to the side of the tub as she heard murmured voices on the other side of the door, a moment later the Doctor appeared with a simple cotton dress. Rose smiled at him in thanks and quickly pulled it on over her wet form. She piled her wet curls above her head leaving a damp fringe covering the burns on her cheek.

The Doctor frowned at her and raised his hand to trace her burns, for a moment she allowed herself to learn into his hand before she pulled away.

'I have to go' she whispered. He nodded and helped her out of the room; he took her into the hallway and up the stairs. He sat her down on the bench where they had met earlier; squeezing her hand he looked at her

'You're going to ask me to leave now aren't you?' he murmured knowingly. Rose smiled apologetically but nodded.

'Okay' he murmured as he stood, he pressed a kiss to her hand and turned away – before he left he glanced over his shoulder one last time

'Answer me one question' he asked, Rose bit her lip and met his unwavering gaze

'Will we meet again?'

Rose grinned at him

'Almost definitely'

He matched her grin and pressed a kiss to her hand,

'I guess in that case, I'll see you in time Miss Tyler' he smiled before he walked away.


	18. Chapter 18

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Making It Count

Chapter Eighteen

Rose leant her head back against the bench and let out a heavy sigh, it wasn't until now that she realised her hands were trembling as she sat on the bench being blown by the cool breeze that covered the ship. She didn't look up until she felt another presence beside her, then she opened her eyes and saw her Doctor looking down at her.

He gave her a compassionate smile and with that, she just fell against his shoulder with tears streaming down her cheeks. He pulled her closer to him and held her as she let the shock of the day pour out of her. He gently stroked her back and smoothed her drying locks of hair as she rocked in his arms.

After a few moments she fell silent against him, she turned in his arms to stare up at him – she was met by his worried gaze. She remained silent as he methodically stroked her hair, eventually his hand moved to the side of her face where his fingertips tenderly traced the burn marks on her cheek. She shivered under his touch and adverted her eyes,

'Oh Rose' he murmured as he watched her try to hide from his searching gaze. She shook her head and turned so she could smile bravely up at him

'How long do we have?' she whispered – her voice almost a choke. The Doctor looked out over the sea to where the sun rested in the sky; he traced the lines of her face

'About twelve hours' he murmured. Rose nodded and turned to stand up

'Come on then, we have to do something' she told him as she made to walk away. The Doctor grabbed her hand and tugged her back down.

'It's not that simple Rose' he told her quietly. She let out a sigh and closed her eyes

'I know' she whispered, barely audible 'Please…can we just go for a walk or something' she asked, her eyes begging him. He nodded silently and stood, he wrapped his arm around her waist as her head leant on his shoulder. Together they walked along the deck taking in the sea air.

After they had been walking for several minutes the Doctor broke his silence

'Rose you can't go back down there' he told her quietly, Rose turned to look at him, her eyes questioning

'Then how can I help?' she asked softly, the Doctor shook his head at her

'We'll find another way, I'm not letting you back down there' he told her sternly. Rose turned on the spot and raised and eye brow at him

'You're not letting me?' she asked with her hands on her hips

'No I'm not letting you' he told her as his eyes locked onto hers, he raised his hands to frame her face as he stared meaningfully down at her 'It nearly killed you last time, so no, I'm not letting you anywhere near there'

Rose studied his face and let out a sigh, she knew she couldn't change his mind – so she shrugged and changed the topic instead.

'So what we gunna do?' she asked as the Doctor smiled gently in thanks.

'Well, _I'm _going to dissemble the battery which should allow the Tardis to take off again, also I have a suspicion it may have something to do with –' he paused and glanced around before lowering his voice 'the ship sinking'

Rose stared at him in question

'But I thought we couldn't change the past?' she murmured

'We can't, but that doesn't mean we can't help people' he told her smiling. Rose studied him intently with a small smile forming on the edge of her lips

'What we gunna do then?' she asked

'Now that' he said with a grin, 'is where you come in handy.'

'Really?' she asked with a laugh

'Yep, while I'm dealing with the battery, you can be checking out the life boats, making sure they are accessible – that sort of thing' when Rose opened her mouth to speak he cut her off

'Just because we can't prevent things doesn't mean we can't help' he told her with a smile – Rose returned his smile

'So what am I doing first then?' she asked eagerly. He stopped and looked at her with concern in his gaze

'Firstly, I'm gunna dress these wounds, make sure you are dry and a lot cooler'

Rose glared at him as she pulled her hair over her face self consciously

'I told you already, I'm fine' she grumbled. He gently moved the hair from her face and looked down at her

'No you're not' he murmured quietly. She let out a sigh as he took her hand and pulled her along

'Now stop with your moaning – I'd said I'd look after you and that's what I'm doing' he told her as he led her along the corridors back to their room.

When they reached their room the Doctor paused to open the door before remembering he had no medical supplies, swearing silently to himself he lead Rose along the corridor to where the Tardis was parked. Rose leant against the side of the Tardis ignoring the thumping pain in her head as the Doctor began to search his pockets for the key – after a few moments he remembered where he'd left them.

'Damn-it' he muttered as he kicked the doors – they remained shut. When he turned to Rose all he could see was the bright red of the burns that marked her cheeks, he pushed the door once more in a feeble attempt but nothing happened.

Rose raised her hands and pressed them against his

'I left the keys downstairs' he murmured in anger at himself, Rose squeezed his hands

'Don't worry about it, I'm fine' she soothed him quietly before wincing at the throbbing in her head.

'You don't look fine' he said quietly as he watched her. She fixed him with a look

'Doctor, we have twelve hours, let's not waste them worrying about me yeah? We can sort me out later, but we have to do this now' she urged him. He took one last look at her cheek as he ran his fingers over it

'Fine' he murmured

'Good' she replied with a smile.

'I'll go down, you go up – meet you by the clock in two hours?' he asked. Rose nodded; he smiled in return and leaned forward pressing a kiss against her burnt cheek.

'I'll get you out of here I promise' he whispered before he disappeared down the corridor. Rose smiled to herself before pulling at her clinging dress and dropping her head into her hands.

'I know you will' she whispered to herself as she tried to move from the corridor – instead she sat leaning against the Tardis holding her throbbing head. They had twelve hours left.


	19. Chapter 19

Thanks for all your reviews! I'm going on holiday so won't be another update for a week. Sorry!

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Making It Count

Chapter Nineteen

Rose leant her head against the Tardis and tried to heave a sigh as she longed for an ounce of energy to strike her – instead all that struck her was pain.

'No' she muttered to herself, 'no I'm not gunna sit here doing this' she grumbled as she tried to pull herself to her feet. As she did she felt her vision blur, but she ignored it as she pulled her wobbling feet along the corridor, leaning on the walls for balance.

The Doctor had started to walk along the corridor towards the service hatch but something had stopped him. He paused for a moment debating whether to continue forwards or to go back; he let out a sigh and turned quickly running back to where he had been moments before.

When he reached where the Tardis stood he saw Rose tumbling down the corridor a few paces ahead, he watched her worriedly before slowly walking up behind her, he placed a hand on the small off her back

'You forgot something' he murmured into her ear. Rose jumped and turned around to stare at him

'What?' she asked tiredly, he smiled at her trying to veil his concern as he reached into his pocket. Then he pulled out a perfectly ripe, large, yellow banana. Rose raised an eyebrow at him

'Now's really not the time for one of your banana talks' she muttered at his enthusiastic grin. He remained silent and pressed it into her hand

'Eat it' he murmured 'The potassium will do you a world of good'. She stared down unappetisingly at her hand

'Promise me' he asked, as Rose heard the first edge of urgency on his voice. She looked up to meet his eyes where his concern was scarcely veiled and nodded slowly.

'Good' he said relieved. She moved to turn away from him, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from him – and for the first moment since boarding the ship a real fear lanced through her.

'See you soon' she whispered, it was meant as a statement but can out as a feeble question. He noticed the faint tremor in her voice and stepped forwards, he grasped her hands and grinned at her

'You can count on it' he promised. She nodded and flashed him a smile as she began to walk away, he watched he until she turned around a corner with a smile toying on the edge of his lips.

'Right then…' he murmured to himself as he turned back to the steward's hatch. They had work to do

Rose stopped on the first promenade deck; she leant back against a bench and slowly unpeeled a banana – as she did so she stopped to think, shielding her banana

'Do they have bananas' she wondered aloud, shrugging curiously she shoved it into her mouth hoping that no one saw her and question her. Soon she had swallowed the entire thing and dropped the skin into a near by bin

'Right then' she murmured as she stood up and looked around at the vast lifeboats, she wiped her hands on her dress and began to loosen the knots on the life boats so they could easily be hoistered. As she continued to work on each boat she barely noticed the sun setting behind her – she forgot the fact that this would be the last time the ship saw daylight.

As night sunk in over the ship the Doctor had battled his way back down to the storage compartments at the bottom of the ship, he slid his way through the tight compartments, feeling the heat the filled the compartments rising to meet him. He fell to the floor from an entrance and glanced about the darkened room – this wasn't the way he had originally entered, and nor was it the way he had left with Rose. He swore silently to himself knowing he needed to disassemble the batteries and try and find the Tardis keys. Glancing around he could only see the lines of cars which filled the storage area – so he continued to walk amongst them, following the billowing heat with stung at his skin.

He followed the heat which prickled his skin with sweat until it became more and more intense – he could see the black box in the centre in the room, almost glowing red with heat. He walked carefully towards it, his hand searching his pocket for the Sonic Screwdriver. He stopped in front of it, kneeling beside the scorching heat, he watched as the heat from the battery pulsed as it searched from energy – all the energy it had drained from the Tardis through Rose had allowed its' power supply to grow. The Doctor circled the box as he held up the Sonic Screwdriver – electrical impulses were being shot through the air as the battery looked for a further source of power

'Now who's becoming greedy' the Doctor murmured. He knew the battery couldn't drain energy unless the source was near by; the Doctor glanced around searching for a greater energy source in the room – and all he could find was himself.

Rose searched the decks and in total all she could find was twenty life boats

'Twenty life boats' she whispered in dismay, from behind a voice heard her

'That's four more than international regulations miss' a man called out. Rose span around

'But these life boats…how many people do they hold?'

'Can fit 1178 in the boats' he said watching her with an amused curiosity

'But there's over two thousand people on board' Rose whispered as she stared out at the innocent people on board the boat.

'Good thing the ships unsinkable, isn't it miss?' he laughed as he walked away. Rose shook her head as tears stung in her eyes, the Doctors words came floating back to her head as she glanced about

'Only seven hundred and twelve people were saved on eighteen boats… only 4 boats left the Titanic with full capacity' she choked 'wait…the other two boats…I need to find the other two boats' she realised as she turned and began to search the decks for the unreachable boats – the boats that could save so many lives.

Rose ran through the darkness searching for the boats as moonlight rose over the ship – she was suddenly aware of how little time she had left…so she began to run faster.


	20. Chapter 20

I'm back from holiday and it was very lovely. So here's some more for you

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Making It Count

Chapter Twenty

Rose ran across the deck counting the life boats as she ran past – she had counted fourteen standard boats and four collapsible boats – yet she couldn't find the other two. She paused for breath as she leant against the wall panting, her eyes were wide as the moon light streaked down onto her face, clouds barely dappled the sky and Rose closed her eyes.

'You alright miss?' a young steward asked. She flung her eyes open and stared at him

'Thank god' she whispered as she grabbed his arm in urgency, 'I need you to help me' she begged,

'Well of course Miss, what's the problem' he asked with concern.

'I only counted 18 life boats, where's the other two?' she asked wide eyed.

'Ah, has Miss got a fear of water then?' he asked with a knowing chuckle 'Really there is no need to be alarmed, this ship will not sink, I can assure you of it'

Rose let out a sigh as she grasped his arm tightly

'Please, it's not cos I'm scared, I'm just…' she paused for thought 'fascinated' she declared with a bright forced smile. 'Please sir, do show me where the boats are kept' she asked with a curtsey. The young steward blushed and cleared his throat

'Well if you insist…' he began, Rose grabbed his arm and began to walk briskly

'Brilliant' she murmured as she dragged the young boy along.

After walking around the deck several times an agitated Rose sighed loudly at the young man who was flushing with embarrassment

'I'm terribly sorry miss, I don't seem to know where they are' he told her quietly

'Well go and find out' she instructed briskly as she began to realise why the two boats were never used.

'Right away miss' he declared as he ran off to ask another steward. Rose stood there impatiently tapping her feet as the cold night arm began to blow against her skin; she paused and leant over the railings looking down at the black ocean that leapt against the side of the ship. She swallowed heavily as she wondered how cold the water was – she hoped she would never find out, but she knew that over half the ship's passengers would.

'Miss?' the stewards called as Rose turned around, quickly wiping tears from her cheeks.

'You found them?' she asked quickly, he nodded in response and began to lead the way. Rose followed him to a store room that looked barely used, as though no one even realised it existed

'Had to ask a fair few people to find it' he told Rose proudly, she nodded in response and flashed him a smile over her shoulder. She circled the boats studying them as she paced – trying to figure out how many people these boats could hold

'What type of boats are these?' she asked over a moment as she ran her fingers through her hair so curls danced over her shoulders, the steward looked troubled for a moment before speaking

'I believe they are emergency boats' the steward said unsurely.

'So they are just like regular life boats just smaller?' Rose asked standing briskly

'I believe so…' he murmured

'How many do they hold?' Rose questioned as she prodded the boats to test how sturdy they were.

'Around forty souls I believe' he told her as he watched her with a frown.

'Forty…so that's eighty' she murmured as she walked around the room – then she turned suddenly so she was right in the stewards face, leaning urgently into him.

'I need you to do something for me' she asked wide eyed and determined,

'What…' the steward asked cautiously

'I need you to tell all your staff where these life boats are' she knew it was such a strange request but she was half begging him

'What?' he asked

'Please, please can you do that for me?' she begged as she grabbed his arms

'Miss, I think I've done enough already' he murmured as he began to step away from her 'I think it would be best if you returned to the deck now'

'No! Please, you have to tell them!' she cried out. He took her by the arm and began to pull her from the room

'No!' she shouted as she was dragged away from the life boats, when she reached the corridor she glanced frantically around at the staff.

'Please! Please listen to me!' she cried out

'Shhh' one steward instructed as he help the other man take her down the corridor

'Some passengers are trying to sleep'

'Sleep…night – oh god it's night time, please, listen to me!' she shouted. The stewards shared a look as they took her down the corridor

'No!' she shouted – she knew they wouldn't stop and listen to her, so she shouted it out for as many people as possible to hear

'The emergency life boats are in this cupboard!' she shouted at the top of her voice 'Everyone listen! The emergency life boats are hidden in here! Up here in the cupboard' she yelled over and over again hoping for as many people to hear as they dragged her down the corridor.

Rose stopped shouting once they dropped her back onto the promenade desk

'Perhaps you should return to your chamber' a steward told her giving her a straight look. Rose glanced around and straightened out her clothes nodded, as the steward who had helped her turned away she grabbed his hand

'Remember where they are, please' she asked quietly with desperate eyes. He watched her for a moment then silently nodded before walking away. Rose dropped to the floor and let out a sigh. She'd done all she could.

Rose looked along the deck to see youngsters sitting under the stars; she blinked away tears and called out to a passing stranger

'What's the time?' she asked, the man barely glanced at her but called it out

'11 o'clock miss'

'Thanks' she whispered. She had forty minutes. She felt a tremor run through her as she stood – she needed to find the Doctor.


	21. Chapter 21

Thanks for reviewing!

I'm currently panicing over AS level results tomorrow... so good luck to anyone else! And for GCSE's which are looming!

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Making It Count

Chapter Twenty One

The Doctor knew that night had probably fallen on them but he wasn't aware of the time – or of how little of it he had left. He glanced ahead at the burning battery and knew he couldn't touch it – as far as he could see, he was the only other power source around it, and draining his life would most certainly not help him get off the ship. He sighed and looked at the battery

'You know I didn't ask to be here' he sighed, 'I just wanted to take her somewhere nice – Rose that is. But now I'm here, because of you' he sighed again as he stood and circled the battery as he continued to talk to it.

'You know I wouldn't have minded if you stayed here, you draining a little bit of power from a ship like the Titanic isn't gunna make much difference. It's just the fact that you brought us here – I was trying to take her somewhere nice for once you know? Somewhere where she doesn't have to fight for her life or prepare to say goodbye over and over again'. The Doctor let out another sigh as he crouched beside the battery

'But now we're here, so I guess I should stop complaining' he murmured as he studied the box. 'Now the real question is why are you here. I get that your draining power, but why would a battery for an alien ship – at least 48th century alien, come back to 1912, to an ocean liner. Now that's just a little creepy don't you think?'

The Doctor stood up and moved around again

'Well it's not like your about to reply is it' he mumbled as he paced the room trying to decided what to do with the battery.

'Now I need to de-assemble you, but without burning my hands off in the process' he declared, 'and luckily for me, I'm in a storage room!' he grinned as he turned to the endless containers.

'There's gotta be something I can use round here!' he thought happily as he dug through box after box.

The Doctor spent quite a while digging through boxes, almost a half hour as he throughout useless things such as chandeliers and crockery. Only as he threw these things back did he get an idea. Grinning like an idiot he ran over to the chandelier, it was set up for the new electrical lighting, the Doctor realised happily; slowly he began to pull wires from it until he had enough.

He then returned to the boxes to find a metal shoe horn and other appliances that he could use, soon he had a pile of metal junk beside him as he worked his way through the heaps.

He still had no jacket as that was lying on the bathroom floor of his former self, so he loosened his tie against the raging heat and pushed his hair back off his face.

The Doctor took his pile of metal and sat down a few feet away from the battery, he began to pull apart the wiring and attaching it various parts of metal, welding them together with the Sonic Screwdriver. He welded and buzzed over and over again until he had made two long wires attached to a small box; he found a metal wire and coiled it before returning to dig through the boxes.

He swore to himself as he caught his hands on prevailing metal, but he continued digging hoping for what he needed to be somewhere within the box. The Doctor had searched nearly twenty containers when he was beginning to feel hopeless; he had no idea of the time as he continued to dig.

Finally his hand fell onto a small ring of metal; he looked down at the magnet and kissed it triumphantly.

'Bravo!' he shouted as he ran back over to the metal device. He quickly attached it to the wire and began to twist it over and over again, until it was turning at a speed. The Doctor held his breath as nothing happened – his hands were shaking with the force of the turning. He stared at the wires that lead to the black box – it had taken him several attempts to attach but now the insulation had melted away and the inner metal stuck to the box.

Finally a crackling filled the room as the Doctor heaved a sigh – his plan might just work. The electricity burst to life and shot down the wire – it reached the box and the Doctor smiled waiting for it to short circuit and stop.

Instead the entire thing blew up.

'What!' the Doctor shouted as he dropped the controls and ran towards the box – then he realised what had happened, the box had taken the energy from the electricity and was sending out a homing signal to the ship it belonged to. The battery was fully charged and ready to return home – and the energy it used to send the homing signal came from the Titanic's sources.

As the Doctor ran his fingers through his hair he didn't know of the chaos above as the clock struck eleven thirty five. He didn't know how two men in the watch tower spotted the ice berg and screamed their instructions, nor did he know of the Captain hopelessly trying to reverse the ship as the ship's wheel was turned to starboard – in the hope the ship would swing round to port and miss the ice berg.

Nor did the Doctor know of the propellers to small to change the entire course of the ship within moments, and no one above deck knew of how there was no power to move the ship as it drained into the battery. So the Titanic did not turn – instead it hit the ice berg.

It was in this moment the Doctor realised the time

'11:40 pm, Sunday, April 14, 1912' it was the beginning of the end.


	22. Chapter 22

Hello everyone!

I know, I haven't actually updated in forever.

But I'm back now! (Explanation on profile!)

So sorry, and please enjoy!

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Making It Count

Chapter Twenty Two

Rose felt the tremor run through the ship and in that moment she knew what had happened. She closed her eyes as the cold night air clawed at her face; she tried taking a deep breath to calm her before glancing around. The first thing she saw was the towering wall of ice standing erect over the ship, she winced as she could feel it pierce the ship, she clung to the railing ducking as ice scattered over the ship.

Rose ignored the cold ice as a chunk fell onto her head, she winced at the collision but continued to run across the deck over to where the ship had hit, she could feel her heart pounding as she glanced around – no one was panicking but her.

She could see the lights of some of the cabins coming to life as people queried over the sound and shake of the boat, others came out to stare in wonder and the boys played football with the ice. Only Rose clung to the side of the railing, her hands white as they gripped onto the cold metal bar – only she knew what would happen.

She watched as the ship slowly turned away from the ice berg but she knew the damage was already done, she watched the innocent white block fade away behind her as she turned around, raising her hand to her head she felt a warm trickle of blood which she ignored. She knew that now she had a job to do.

Rose tried to push the thoughts of the Doctor to the back of her mind as she ran up to where the Captain and his crew would meet to discuss the plans; she sprinted past the spectators who had all come to stare at the formation in the seemingly calm ocean.

Rose ran up to the cabin and pressed her hands against the windows leaning in, she could see all the men with their white jackets leaning over maps, plotting and planning. She could feel her hands shaking in desperation as she glanced over to the life boats. Watching the captain she knew they wouldn't listen to her – so instead she ran back to the corridor where she had stood earlier. She ran into the cupboard where the emergency life boats were kept and she began to tug them out, it was a long gruelling task but she pulled them along one by one until she reached the ships deck.

When she'd left one beside a life boat crane she ran back for the other – when she reached it she found a man in there already pulling it along. She paused to speak but he looked up at her – his eyes wide and frightened. She recognised him as the steward from earlier in the day, the one who had showed her where the boats were

'You remembered' she exclaimed delighted as she helped him lift the boat. He nodded at her, his eyes glancing around frantically

'You knew…how did you know…oh God what's going to happen' he choked, Rose tried to smile placatingly at him

'What's your name?' she asked

'Marcus' he told her weakly. Then Rose remembered him – the Doctor's steward who had died

'Marcus' she said softly 'You're going to be fine, you're going to get everyone onto these boats okay?'

Marcus shook his head at her, she could see him trembling from where she stood

'I…I can't' he whispered. Rose helped him lower the boat onto the deck and turned to frame his face with her hands

'Marcus, you're going to be a hero' she promised, 'you help people into those boats, start now – don't wait for orders, just start now' she begged, he nodded after her as he glanced around

'Ladies and children…'he said weakly as his hands shook with fear 'Ladies and children first please'

'And remember Marcus, sixty five people per boat, I don't want to see any under-loaded boats okay?' she instructed, he nodded at her and Rose grinned as she turned back into the night.

'Miss?' he called after her – she turned around

'Yeah?'

'What was your name?' he asked softly

'Rose' she replied with a smile 'Rose Tyler' then she disappeared into the faces on the decks.

Rose ran along the decks search for life boat number seven – she knew it was supposed to be the first to go, well it was until her meddling, but she still needed to find it. She skidded down the deck and saw it hanging by its ropes feely in the air, she ran towards it counting the people as she did.

'Twenty eight' she murmured 'There are only 28 people in that boat!' she shouted as she stopped beside it. The first class passengers glanced down at her with contempt

'Yes miss, we're not sure how strong they are' he told her calmly, 'now why don't you go inside and get yourself a life belt?' he said soothingly. Rose ignored his comment

'These boats can hold at least sixty people – I'm sure of it. That's not even half full!' she cried

'Who let steerage out?' someone moaned in Rose's direction.

'Answer me!' she shouted 'Why aren't they full'. The men ignored her and continued to lower the ships

'She's right you know' a male voice called out behind them, Rose turned around 'They hold sixty five people to be exact' he told her with a smile, 'now fill these boats up!'

'Yes sir' they replied as they hauled more women and children on board

'Thomas Andrews' the man introduced himself, Rose was so glad she could almost hug him

'Rose…Rose Tyler' she hurridly introduced herself, 'could you tell all of them that? That the boats hold sixty five people, please?' she asked desperately. Thomas watched her and nodded

'Only if you get that cut looked at and get yourself a life belt' he instructed. Rose grinned at him

'Thank you so much!' she shouted over her shoulder as she continued to run. She knew now she had to find the Doctor.


	23. Chapter 23

Thanks for your reviews! Sorry its taking me soooo long to update!

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Making It Count

Chapter Twenty Three

The moment the ship hit the Titanic the Doctor felt the ice puncturing the brittle steel. He knew what had happened – looked it up the moment he had reached dry land, he knew how the ice made the steel brittle, how it pierced six holes in her starboard side, and he knew the first six water tight compartments had been punctured. They could stay afloat with four punctured but not six, he also knew that if the ship had hit the iceberg on the bow she could still be able to float – and he knew who's fault that was as he stared at the broken black box.

He stood frozen as the memories of the sinking rushed back through him – he almost forgot to run as the ice cold water burst through the steel and into the ship. He could see the first drops flowing behind him and he sprinted through the neatly lined cars to where he'd left the Tardis keys hours before. He kicked the door open only to find water already gushing through, swearing to himself he dropped to his knees in the stinging water. His hands scrapped across the floor but he remained empty handed – the keys were gone.

He dropped his head to his knees

'No…no…no…' he whispered as he knew he was unable to get into his ship. He raised his hands – soaked by the icy water and ran them through his hair. This was the first time since he'd landed on the Titanic that he truly doubted his promise to keep Rose safe.

Knowing that they couldn't escape in the Tardis the Doctor stood up, dripping in icy water he began to drag himself up the laddered steps knowing he had to find her – he had to get her onto a boat. So he climbed up the steps followed by the waves of death that lashed out at his legs, readily threatening to consume him.

As Rose ran across the first class deck in search of the stairs, a figure caught her eyes. As others panicked or laughed at the situation, a man leant forward over the railings staring down at the ocean. Rose walked up behind him and placed her hand on his shoulder – he flinched as she touched him before turning around to face her.

'Ah, the mysterious Rose Tyler' the Doctor murmured. Rose gave him a small smile

'You gunna stand there all night?' she asked worriedly, knowing her Doctor's memories…his nightmares. He just shrugged in response – the answer of a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Rose glanced around before snaking her hand into his

'Do you ever get that feeling' he murmured 'That something's just meant to be, that no matter what you do you can't change it?' he asked.

'Yes' she replied softly thinking of her and the Doctor.

'Stop trying to help me Rose…I think this is my time. I've done too much damage already'

Rose shook her head and stared meaningfully at him

'You're wrong Doctor, you're wrong. You take yourself to a boat and you get out of that water, because better things will happen to you'

He studied her intense hazel eyes for a moment before replying

'And you know that Rose?' he asked. Rose nodded with a faint smile

'Yes I do' she replied 'so please, for me, get on a boat?' she asked. He studied her face as though he were trying to imprint it into his memory before he nodded. He raised a hand and pressed it to her cheek

'Be careful' he asked, she nodded in response

'And Rose…' he began before she cut him off with a familiar phase

'This isn't goodbye' she promised 'it's never goodbye'

He nodded at her and for the first time in a long time, he smiled.

As she began to jog down the decking again she grinned at him

'Remember – sixty five people per boat, now get on one!' she shouted.

'As you say' he murmured before he followed her towards the boats, saving others as he saved himself.

Rose smiled to herself as she ran towards the stairs – for all the times the Doctor had saved her, she could finally save him back. As the Doctor boarded a life boat staring out over the black sea and away from death and he knew he had to return to his Tardis and begin searching. Searching all of the planet Earth for his Rose Tyler – he finally had a purpose.

Below deck the Doctor felt something within his mind change, he felt a memory shift as a new one was planted. Suddenly the severity of his almost drowning on the Titanic was fading, and being replaced by a vision of seats on a life boat. He rubbed his head in disbelief and then in his memory he saw Rose – in that moment he grinned to himself and knew he had to get back to her. So he climbed faster and faster, almost slipping on the wet bars.

Up on deck Rose was racing down the grand staircase in search of the Doctor – it had been almost an hour since she'd last seen him

'Miss, miss, lifeboats are this way miss' a steward instructed her

'I know…I just need to get something' she mumbled as she tried to step past him

'No need for possessions miss, just get yourself to a boat'

'I have to go back' she said harshly as she tried to push past him

'Now miss…'the man began as he heaved a sigh

'Get out of my way!' she shouted, the man grabbed her by the arms

'You need to go to a boat, do you want to drown?' he asked her heatedly. Rose shrugged

'I don't care – I need to get down there, he's down there! My Doctor's down there, now let me by!' she shouted as she shoved him out of the way

'If you want to drown – drown then!' the man shouted back as Rose fled down into the lower compartments.


	24. Chapter 24

Thank you so much for reviewing...sorry exams have kept me away!

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Making It Count

Chapter Twenty Four

The Doctor dragged himself out of a stair well and leant against the wall pausing for breath, he was slick with the icy water and he tried not to shiver as he leaned into the water watching it pulse beneath him. The water went from blue to black as the lights above them flickered with the strain of the water on board.

Rose ran down stair after stair becoming aware of the pounding sound of water that greeted her ears the further down she went. She ignored and continued to run further and further down until she reached the bottom stairs. The icy water lapped against her toes as she stared down into it, she reached her hand down and plunged it into the water instantly retracting it as the cold water bit at her.

'Doctor' she whispered as she stared down at it, there was something within her nagging her – and she knew she couldn't leave him down there. She began to step into the icy water when a voice called out

'Going for a dip? Bit chilly for that!'

Rose turned around at the sound of the voice – her face lighting up as she realised who it was

'I thought you were down there!' she cried out as she threw herself into his arms, he caught her and held her close laughing as he shivered

'I was' he murmured. She stepped back and looked up at him

'You're soaking!'

'Well it was wet…' . Rose ignored his sarcasm

'Did you get the keys?' she asked quietly – he shook his head. Rose nodded and bit her lip

'Don't worry about it' she murmured as he pulled her close again.

'I'm gunna get you out of here' he promised into her hair, Rose shook her head

'Don't worry about it' she whispered again as she turned to look up into his face

'As long as you're alright' she murmured with a smile. He gave her a knowing smile of thanks and Rose just shrugged

'You were being idiotic! What kind of man…alien…sits there when the entire boat is sinking around him?' she moaned.

'A lonely one' he replied softly

'Well you're not lonely anymore' she murmured – almost as a question

'I'm definitely not' he replied as he pulled her closer 'and thank you' he whispered, Rose shrugged silently.

'So he got on a boat?' she asked worriedly.

'Yep'

'Good' she murmured

'Now he's going to spend a year searching for you' he said with a grin, Rose laughed

'Good, no fun without a chase' she laughed – the Doctor shivered with laughter in response. Rose turned in his arms and looked seriously up at him

'Doctor…I found the missing two life boats, I tried to get people on them, filling them all up you know so we can save a few more people' she told him worriedly. He smiled proudly down at her

'Fantastic' he grinned as he pressed an enthusiastic kiss to her lips. The kiss was over before she could respond and the next thing she knew he was dragging her along the corridor by her hand

'We need to get to higher ground' he told her with a sparkle still in his eyes. Rose smiled at him as she ran along side him.

Soon they were back up on deck and all remains of happiness had disappeared from them, The Doctor squeezed Rose's hand tightly as he pulled her along the deck

'I need to find you a boat' he murmured to himself. Rose stopped dead in her tracks

'You what?' she asked, breaking her hand from his.

'Rose' the Doctor began as he looked at her with such sadness in his eyes 'Rose this ship is sinking, and if you think I'm just gunna stand by and let you sink with it, then your wrong'

'And if you think I'm just gunna jump on a boat and sail away as though none of this is my problem then you've got another think coming' she warned him. The Doctor studied her hazel eyes which were burning with anger

'Rose, that's not what I'm doing. Preventing you from drowning is not you walking away from the problem!' he stressed. Rose shook her head and folded her arms

'I'm not going anywhere without you' she told him quietly.

'Rose, damn it – this is not a time to be proud' he warned her

'Proud?' she asked 'Proud? You think I'm being proud?' she shouted

'Yes, that's what I think' he told her as he leaned towards her – her arms flailed as though she were about to hit him.

'I'm not standing on the side of a sinking ship, in the middle of the ocean, in 1912 because I'm bloody proud!' she shouted

'Then why are you?'

Rose opened her mouth as though she were about to shout something, then she caught herself and stopped. She took in a deep breath

'Doctor, do you really think I would stand here, willing to drown just because I'm proud?' she asked quietly in disbelief. He shrugged – he didn't believe it, he just didn't know what else to think.

'Then you know me a lot less than I thought you did' she said quietly as she turned away

'Bloody hell Rose, can we not do this now?' he asked as he gestured around

'When would you rather we did it hmm? When the ship's stopped sinking?'

'Rose!' the Doctor sighed exasperated. 'I didn't want to argue with you – I never want to argue with you, I just need to understand why you are willing to stand here with me waiting to drown rather than getting on a boat to safety'

Rose sighed and glanced around, she could see the death and despair that hung over the ship and she knew there was a strong chance she wouldn't get off this ship alive – which meant she would never have the opportunity to tell him how she really felt.

She closed her eyes until all she could hear was the beating of her own heart. As cries of death swam around her, Rose felt the Doctor slide one of his cold hands into hers, as she shivered in response he gently pressed the other hand against her cheek.

'Rose, please' he asked softly, almost begging 'get on a boat'.

Rose opened her eyes and shook her head

'I can't' she choked

'Why?' he whispered as her tears fell onto his hand

'Because I love you' she whispered – unable to meet his gaze,

'Oh Rose' he whispered as he wiped away her tears, the Doctor opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by a steward throwing life belts at them

'I don't need one' Rose murmured

'Yes she does' the Doctor told the steward as he grabbed a life belt, she looked up at him in question but before she could speak he interupted her.

'You're not going anywhere' he told Rose with a grin as he passed her the life belt. She smiled back at him as he grabbed her hand

'Come on' he called as he dragged her along the corridor and away from the rising water.


	25. Chapter 25

Thank you for your reviews!

* * *

Making It Count

Chapter Twenty Five

The Doctor's hand gripped Rose's tightly as he pulled her down the corridors with the water licking their ankles as they ran. He was holding her hand so tightly – afraid she'd slip away from him. The Doctor glanced at his watch and saw it was almost one in the morning – he knew they were running out of time.

When they stopped for breath Rose stared at him desperately

'What we gunna do?' she asked – he remained silent in response looking away from her questioning eyes

'You don't know' she answered for him. He nodded and framed her face with his hands

'I don't know Rose, I don't know' he admitted. Rose bit her lip and watched him

'At least we have each other' she murmured.

'Rose…' he began again – but stopped when he saw her eyes narrowing. He then took a deep breath almost in defeat, remembering how the last time he was here, he had nearly drowned and he was a Time Lord, he couldn't bear to think about how the icy water would affect a human. Rose broke through his thoughts with a suggestion

'We still have the Tardis' she gently reminded him, he looked down at her

'We still can't get in her though' he reminded Rose.

'Doesn't mean we can't try – she's telepathic right?' she told him as she pulled his hand.

'You got any better ideas?' she asked – he shook his head defeated.

'Hope your right' he murmured 'for both our sakes' he added on silently.

The Doctor and Rose remained silent as they ran along the passages, they squeezed each others hand tighter as they saw the faces of the doomed dragging their possessions along. Some carrying suitcases, others carrying children, all of them with fear in their eyes and tears threatening to stain their cheeks.

Rose tried to keep her eyes on the floor but every now and then someone would catch her eye and she would almost cry out. The Doctor held her hand as they ran against the current of people and towards the water filled compartments – they could only hope it wasn't too late.

The Doctor ran down the stairs, pulling Rose along beside him as he realised the ship was beginning to tilt forwards – however they continued to run down the stairs towards F-Deck. As they ran down the stairs the lighting above them flickered plunging them into darkness, the only sound welcoming them below was the gurgle of fast sweeping water. The Doctor saw the bottom of the steps engulfed in water which overflowed and bubbled as it began to climb the stairs.

The Doctor stared in disbelief at the dark water which had swallowed his ship; he froze unable to move for a moment as he watched the water lap against the steps threatening to consume them both. Then he jumped in – he wadded down the steps, the freezing water burning his skin as he forced himself down

'Doctor!' Rose cried out in protest as he pushed his way through the overwhelming water

'Doctor! What are you doing' she cried as he became waist deep in the water – he continued moving as he made his way down the drowned stairs. Rose stared at him, her heart aching for him – then she followed him into the water. She let out a sharp gasp as the water stung against her legs, but she ignored it, continuing through the current to where the Doctor stood.

He heard her cry out as the water lapped against the raw skin of her burns – and he turned to face her, his eyes wild and desperate.

'Rose – get back up those steps' he commanded as he continued to walk forward

'No' she cried out as she paused against the currently battling her legs.

'Rose, you have to go back up there' he yelled as his voice cracked.

'I'm not going without you' she whimpered as the water began to climb around her legs. He shook his head as he pursed his lips, his eyes were wild with emotion as he stared into the darkness of the corridor

'I have to get down there' he swallowed heavily

'Doctor, you can't you'll drown!' she protested as she pressed one hand against a shifting wall for balance. He shook his head desperately at her

'No…no, the Tardis is in there – I can't leave her behind' he choked as he moved further into the water.

'Doctor…please' Rose whispered as her voice cracked. He turned round to face her again, his features taunt as his body wrestled with emotion – she could see the unshed tears that glistened in his eyes

'Doctor, even if you do get down there, you can't get her out' she whispered over the scream of the water – willing him to understand. He shook his head

'But I can try…that's my home Rose – our home. I can't just leave her…she's…she's the last one' he whispered like the broken Time Lord he was.

'Just like you are' she murmured. He nodded sadly at her

'Rose that's my Tardis – I can't leave her' he admitted as the water swarmed above his waist. Rose shivered as the water hit her waist line; she shook her head, her eyes desperate

'Doctor! No, you can't reach her' Rose begged as the water swam through her legs almost knocking her off balance. She leant forwards against the current, reaching before her

'Doctor, please' she begged. The Doctor's gaze was fixed on the dark depths of the ocean that swamped the ship

'Is she all that matters?' she asked emotionlessly. His nod told her everything she needed to know, her whisper was lost in the crashing of waves as she fought her way down the flooded steps.

'Then I'll help you get her back' she murmured as she slid her hand in his. He glanced down at her shivering form and shook his head

'No, you don't have to' he began

'Yes I do' she cut him off shortly. 'if you're going down, I'm coming with you'. The Doctor watched Rose's eyes unable to understand her – she made no reply but moved down a step so the water climbed heavily above her waist. She let out a gasp at the freezing water but continued down – her hand slipping from his. As the Doctor reached his hand out to stop her, a current surged past knocking her off her feet. He turned away from her to glance down at the drowned corridor – as he did this the water surged past him, he tightened his grip on the sunken hand rail but he heard Rose's scream as she was swept off her feet. He turned around to see her falling beneath the forceful waves, the current pulling her under as her hands flailed uselessly – when her head bobbed up she released a single scream

'Doctor!'. He barely glanced back at where the Tardis drowned as he battled his way up the steps to where Rose was sinking. He bent down into the water, scooping up her tired body and pressing her against him. He dragged her up the stairs until they sat against the wall together, Rose dripping in the Doctor's lap as he brushed the hair from her face. Her eyes were wide with fear and her hands gently trembling as he stroked her fingers

'I'm sorry' he whispered – she just shook her head and trembled against his shoulder.

'We need to go' he said briskly as he looked back at the rapidly filling stair well, 'We parked in the second water tight bulk head…the ship's going down head first, we need to move to the stern'.

The Doctor pulled Rose to her shaky feet before he turned to pull her along the corridor; Rose glanced over her shoulder at the corridor where the Tardis lay. Shivering she tried to speak

'B-b-but Doctor…w-w-what about the Tardis?' she whispered with wide eyes. His features tightened and he shook his head

'You're all that matters now' he told her as he squeezed her hand pulling her shaking, dripping form along the corridor.


	26. Chapter 26

Thanks for the reviews!

* * *

Making It Count

Chapter Twenty Six

The Doctor slid his wet hand into Rose's and together they ran along the corridors, they went through darkened hallway after darkened hallway until they saw a crowd of people ahead. The Doctor pulled Rose forwards, leaving wet footprints along the floor of the Titanic. They ran up towards the people – mothers clinging to children, sobbing with fear as men battled with the metal gates that held them back. The Doctor glanced back over his shoulder to see the water following them up the corridor; he looked through the sea of frantic faces and began to push through them – still dragging Rose through. She glanced around at the fear in peoples eyes as they clung to each other; they had nothing left to hold onto other than the ones they loved. Rose stood behind the Doctor and wrapped her arms around herself shivering, she watched everyone around her cry out in frustration or in fear as husbands reached for wives and mothers reached for children – Rose held herself.

The Doctor pushed his way to the front not aware that Rose was no longer following him; he wrapped his hands around the metal bars before him and began shaking them.

'Why aren't you letting people through?' he asked dangerously, his eyes wild as his hair was plastered over his forehead. The steward remained silent and looked at the floor

'I'm talking to you' the Doctor warned his voice dark. When the man ignored him again the Doctor shook the bars so that they rattled heavily – the crowd of people fell into silence around him other than the occasional sob. Rose pressed herself against the wall shivering as she looked about, she saw a tiny child crouching in the corner against the wall sobbing into her dolly. Rose glanced up at where the Doctor stood before turning back through the crowd and along the corridor to where the girl sat. Rose pushed through until she was at the back of the crowd – she could barely see the Doctor from where she stood, but she gently lowered herself to her knees beside the girl.

'Hi' she said softly. The little girl was shaking and Rose realised she could only be three years old. The girl clung to her dolly as her bottom lip quivered, her deep red curls danced around her head as she shook and her eyes were deep green and glossy with tears as they watched Rose.

'I'm Rose' she said quietly as she sat beside the girl – shivering herself from the cold. 'What's your name?'. The girl watched her for a moment then tried to speak between sobs

'R-R-Ruby' she whispered as she pulled her doll closer 'And this Shelia'. Rose smiled at the girl and her dolly

'Nice to meet you Ruby and Shelia' she murmured. Rose glanced up as she heard shouting through the crowd and the sound of metal shaking again. She then turned to look over Ruby's head to see the dark water crawling up the corridor towards them. Rose turned back down to Ruby

'Ruby, do you know where your Mummy is?' she asked her frantically – Ruby shook her head and her lip quivered again.

'Shh, shh, it's okay' Rose soothed.

At the front of the crowd the Doctor was shouting at the young steward

'There are entire families down here, and your just going to let them drown because they have less money than you!' the Doctor shouted enraged. The steward had stepped away from the gate and was ignoring the Doctor.

'Disgusting' he spat 'this is disgusting'. The steward looked at him as the crowd began to shout

'The water's coming!' the steward glanced over the crowed and could hear the roar of water approaching, he glanced down at the floor

'Sorry' he whispered before he ran away. The Doctor swore and kicked the doors – he then paused for a moment before digging through his pockets for the Sonic Screwdriver. He began to hold it against the door, its blue light illuminating in the corridor

'How you doing Rose?' he called over his shoulder as he heard the door click. When he got no answer he turned around to see she wasn't there

'Rose!' he shouted through the crowd – slowly behind him the gate swung open and the crowd pushed him out of the way as they ran to safety.

'Rose!' the Doctor shouted through the people as he ran against them, back down the corridor looking for her as he ran towards the water.

Rose scooped Ruby up into her arms and bundled her against her chest

'It's gunna be okay Ruby, I'll look after you' she promised quietly in her hair as she stared down at the dark waves heading towards her.

'Did you and your mummy come from down there?' she asked pointing at the waves. Ruby silently nodded in reply as she clung onto Rose – her tiny hands shaking with fear. Rose gently stroked the girls' curls as she took in a deep breath

'Okay, well I think your mummy's gone to get a life boat for you, so shall we go upstairs and look for her?' she said softly in a slowly soothing voice as she turned the child's head away from the crashing waves. She took one last look into the waves before turning – then she saw the Doctor running towards her, his eyes were frantic and he was shouting at her

'Rose! Rose!' she smiled into Ruby's hair

'See, my friend, the Doctor's gunna look after us' she whispered as she turned towards him. He saw her running towards him carrying a small child against her, and the faintest smile touched the edge of his lips. He ran to meet her and threw his arm over her shoulder pressing a kiss to her forehead

'Come on' he urged as he pushed her towards the stairs

'I had to go back' Rose panted in explanation 'I saw her on her own…'

The Doctor grinned at her proudly at her as they ran up the stairs and towards the deck of the ship. As their feet pounded on the stairs, Rose could hear screams ahead, she tried not to look at the Doctor but she could feel him watching her. She knew that she was running to her death.


	27. Chapter 27

Thank you for all your reviews!

* * *

Making It Count

Chapter Twenty Seven

Rose continued to follow the Doctor up the stairs, she could feel the burning in her heart and the strain of her lungs as she panted for breath but she kept running. Her legs burned under the weight of carrying Ruby and her hands still trembled gently as she ran away from the waves. The Doctor continued to run ahead of her, methodically glancing over his shoulder to check she was still there – initially he'd tried to make her go ahead, but she couldn't – she needed the pull of his hand to keep her going. So she half ran up the stairs and was half dragged.

The lights had dimmed from the ship; the only illuminations were the emergency flares dancing through the night's sky, the bitter air above the sinking ship was heavy with the screams of the dying and as the ship sank she project her damaged body into the air. The Doctor and Rose could feel this happening as the ship surged and sank through the darkness, as it tilted Rose lost her footing on the steps, she stumbled forward crashing against the steps which drew blood from her knees. As she landed her lips caught on her teeth tearing at her skin and Ruby fell from her arms and landed on the floor of the small hallway, she glanced over Rose's shoulder to see the dark waves of the ocean trying to claim them. She let out a wail that became a terrified cry and the Doctor turned around instantly to see Rose on the floor. He smiled reassuringly at the small girl and knelt down beside Rose. He raised her head gently with his fingers so that he could look down into her eyes, he could see the fear that glistened in them but beneath that he could see the determination.

'You alright?' he murmured, she nodded silently at him as she glanced over her shoulder

'Hey, hey' he gently urged her as he turned her back towards him, he raised his finger wincing as he wiped the blood from her lip. He gently framed her face with his hands and looked down into her face

'Rose, we're gunna be fine, I need you to be strong for just a bit longer' he murmured, Rose let out a sigh and nodded, she raised her hands to coil her fingers within his

'Rose…' he began softly but she shook her head

'I'm not hearing it' she whispered as she squeezed his fingers 'come on, lets get up to the deck' he nodded in agreement and took her hands to help her up. He quickly pulled her into a hug and held her tightly against his chest for a moment; silently he pressed a kiss to her forehead before turning to pick up Ruby. Rose smiled gratefully at him as her arms ached in memory of the heavy child.

Ruby's curls hung down the Doctor's back, the dampness from the ocean made the deep red curls seem almost blood like, they glistened in the harsh darkness matching the tears that marked her porcelain skin. Rose brushed her golden curls off her face and took in a deep breath as she began to follow the Doctor up the steps – he shook his head at her gesturing for her to lead the way

'I'm not having you falling behind' he vowed softly, Rose smiled gratefully at him and continued up the stairs.

Several minutes later Rose could feel the salt air stinging at her nose; she stepped out onto the deck with the Doctor only moments behind. The instant her feet felt the wooden panels beneath her she stopped, she let out a gasp as the screams around her reached her ears – she'd seen death before but this was different, this time she couldn't prevent it. The Doctor stopped beside her, his hand gently falling into place with hers as screams echoed around them, the Doctor could feel Ruby burying her head into his shoulder as her tears dampened his shirt.

'Try to block it out' the Doctor murmured to Rose.

'How?' her voice was barley a whisper above the screaming wind. The Doctor closed his eyes as the wind wiped at his face, he could feel Rose's hair blowing against him as frequent as the tremor in her hand, around him screams reached into his soul as the trembling shape of a child filled his arms. He drew in a deep breath and looked down at her

'Try…' he whispered, 'please, just try'. Rose glanced up at him, she could almost see tears glistening in his hardened eyes, she nodded in response and bit her lip giving him a half smile. He released her hand and raised a finger to gently trace her cheek; it was red with the cold as salt froze to her face. He watched her soft skin and touched it possessively – he wasn't prepared to let this ship to harm anybody else, and most definitely not Rose. He watched her for a moment longer before giving her a curt nod. He glanced down at the girl still trembling in his arms for a moment

'Here, let me take her' Rose offered, he smiled gratefully at her and passed Ruby over. Rose knelt down beside Ruby and gently brushed the hair off her face so she could glance down into her deep green eyes

'Hey sweetheart, how you holding up?' she asked softly. The girl shivered in the cold air and shrugged.

'I want my mummy' she whispered softly, Rose felt her heart tug for the child

'I know Ruby, I know' she whispered holding the small child close as she glanced up at the Doctor.

The Doctor looked down at Rose holding the child and would have smiled if it wasn't for the dire circumstances, it was an image he had imagined many times but surrounding him was a nightmare that had haunted him many times. As the stars glistened down over them the Doctor remembered counting them with Rose, but looking around at how their light dissolved instantly into the darkness of the waves he couldn't help but wonder how long they had left to number the stars.


	28. Chapter 28

Thank you for your reviews! I'm actually going on holiday to Iceland on saturday, so here's an extra long update to make up for it.

* * *

Making It Count

Chapter Twenty Eight

Rose had carried Ruby along the sinking ship; the Doctors hand was firmly in placed around her arm anchoring her along whenever she thought she would fall, constantly reminding her that she was not alone. The had battled their way through the crowds towards the stern of the ship which was slowly rising as she bow of the ship was forced underwater by the heavy weight of the ocean upon its cabins. As the bow of the ship began to pull forward the Doctor had tugged Rose up against the white railings that marked the end of the ship, as she shivered against them she looked up at the Doctor who refused to meet her gaze as he glanced around at the screams of those damned to death.

The Doctor glanced down at her, Ruby was tucked under his chin shaking gently in her arms, he could see the fear in Rose's eyes – there was so much to say but he couldn't find the perfect words. Instead he smiled at her, the gesture was simple but said everything he wanted to say, she smiled back in understanding, it was her gentle smile, the one that teetered on the edge of her lips but never really reached her eyes – he recognised it as her brave smile. Slowly he slid his hand into hers and squeezed tightly, she responded by gently tracing her index finger over the smooth skin of his hand.

Ruby's head rested against Rose but she quietly heaved with tears, Rose gently stroked her hair as she tried to soothe her with soft words in her hair. When this had no response Rose closed her eyes to the darkness that surrounded them, not even the faint light of the stars could break through. The Doctor watched her, gently running his finger down her cheek as he did

'What did your mum used to do when you were upset?' he asked softly. She remained silent for a moment longer before opening her eyes; she looked pained for a moment as she remembered Jackie.

'Rose?' he asked softly, urging her away from the thoughts of her mother.

'She..um…she would' she stumbled gently on her words as she blinked away memories of her mum. 'She would sing to me' she finally murmured, her words barely heard against the howling night air tainted by screams.

'Try that' he urged her. Rose glanced up at him seeing the pain that lanced through his eyes, swallowing heavily she recoiled her fingers tighter around his

'I only know one song' she choked after a moment. The Doctor shrugged, he needed to hear her voice as much as Ruby did.

'Sing it' he murmured.

'It's not exactly fitting' she tried to protest again. The Doctor ran his finger down her cheek until his palm was cupping her chin,

'Rose, nothing you say could possibly make anything worse' he reminded her. She almost granted him a smile for that. Nodding in submission she stepped closer to the Doctor, her back pressed back against the railings, Ruby preventing their bodies from touching as the Doctor held onto the railings supporting all of them. Rose leant her head forward so that her head was resting on his shoulder, her wet hair danced through the air gently whipping his face as he moved his face to rest against her hair. Slowly she wrapped one hand around his waist as she continued to feel the ship moving and yielding beneath them.

'When I was little' Rose murmured quietly into his ear 'I always loved the Little Mermaid, I wanted to be her…' she choked as she looked out over the waves realising how close she was becoming to her dreams. The Doctor quietly stroked her back with his free thumb as he tried to soothe her

'So mum would sing me those songs' she whispered, taking in a sigh she began to sing softly to Ruby.

'The seaweed is always greener in somebody else's lake, you dream about going up there but that is a big mistake. Just look at the world around you right here on the ocean floor, such wonderful things surround you what more is you looking for?' her voice was soft at first; it was easily carried on the wind and barely reached the Doctors ears. When it did he nearly let out a disgruntled laugh at the lyrics, instead he held her closer as her voice caused his heart rate to finally slow.

'Under the sea, under the sea, darling it's better down where it's wetter, take it from me. Up on the shore they work all day out in the sun they slave away, while we devoting full time to floating under the sea' as she softly sung Ruby stopped shaking, she began to take in deep rasps of breath as tears no longer stung at her face. Instead she clung to Rose and looked out over her shoulder watching the crowds of people battling their way up the wounded ship. Slowly she rested her head against Rose's shoulder and shut her eyes letting the soft words of the song take her mind off death and fear.

'Down here all the fish is happy as off through the waves they roll. The fish on the land ain't happy, they sad 'cause they in their bowl but fish in the bowl is lucky. They in for a worser fate, one day when the boss get hungry guess who's gon' be on the plate' As the Doctor held Rose closer he heard her small gasps for air as she continued, he noticed as her voice began to tremble and shake, he held her tighter savoring the warmth she brought to his life.

'Under the sea we off the hook, we got no troubles - life is the bubbles under the sea, under the sea. Since life is sweet here we got the beat here, naturally. Even the sturgeon and the ray, they get the urge and start to play. We got the spirit; you got to hear it under the sea'

Quietly Rose began to stop singing; instead she buried her head into the Doctors chest and cried quietly. He held her tightly to her, his face burying in the golden mane of hair that flew recklessly across her back. As he gently stroked it he felt his own tears sting in his eyes as he stared across the ocean, on the distance bathed in the light of dying stars he could see life boats as tiny islands of hope. He held Rose tighter regretting not sending her on one; however he did know that if she wasn't here to hold he wouldn't get through this. So he held her tightly as around them people held to one another and sobbed, softly a voice spoke over them all quietly reading from the bible.

'And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.''

The Doctor held Rose, and Rose held Ruby, they clung to one another in their darkest moment of fear as they waited for the end. The end of their eternal night.

Slowly the ship was beaten; her battered torso was drawn into the water following her drowning head. At her hind hundreds clung to her railings, their dampened fingers stinging against the ice of the metal. Like ants upon a corpse they crawled over her, some rising and some falling and just like a corpse she rotted, her grand beauty being devoured by the waves, their hunger slicing through her and crippling her. They struck again and again until she was vertical, her head fully submerged, bubbles of oxygen broke the surface – the mouths that released them didn't.

The moon lit the eyes of the hopeless threatening to pull them down as they tried to clamber over the railings which became their gates. Rose's eyes were filled by the moonlight, her features heightened as the final beacon of hope revealed true desperation. Rose blinked rapidly trying to banish the feeling, but whenever the Doctor looked at her she felt as though he was looking into her soul. She'd forgotten about her shivering skin hours ago, a hundred deaths ago, but now fine shivers wrecked her features, her timeless beauty shaken by an inevitable force.

The Doctor watched her and knew the feeling; it was one that head hung over him so many times before, it was the darkness he was eternally trying to fight – and now it had leeched into his Rose. As he tugged her over the railing his eyes never left her face, constantly searching and probing trying to read the unreadable depths within her eyes.

They clung to the other side of the railing, their torsos crushing into the railings as the ship was drawn down, the steel of her backbone was taunt as were the Doctor's feature. They held Ruby between them, her innocent eyes scared by the cloud of death above her, her tiny fingers trembled as she cling to the railings, against her back the Doctor and Rose gently supported her – their fingers gently coiling within one another.

Neither of them could speak. There were no words left to say, the Doctor's promises fell dry in his mouth and the only thing consuming his mind was death. Ruby's voice was barely a squeak against the groan of the metal and the warning howled by the wind, yet her words caught on the wind as easily as her laughter once would have. This time no laughter marked her voice, this time it was a simple plea from the only little girl in the world

'Mama!'

Rose couldn't speak, she wished she could be devoid of emotions but she cared too much, instead feelings swarmed through her, testing and stinging her like a swarm of bees. She couldn't pin point any of them so instead she watched as the water surged hungrily lapping the taste of death against its' salty lips.

Silently Rose removed her life belt that the Doctor had so insistently placed upon her hours ago; instead she wrapped it tightly around the child's venerable torso. The Doctor remained silent but his pride for her shone in his eyes alongside his silent approval.

The trio remained in silence as death screams cried out around them, each being taunted by their own demons as the water waited for them. It was the Doctor who spoke first, his voice hoarse from the stinging salt that tainted the air. After two attempts he finaly spoke

'I just wanted to say' he began, looking away from his companion and at the dark jewels crowning the night sky. She could sense the heaviness in his words and screwed her face up joining his gaze into the stars. He watched her face and for the first time in several hours a ghost of a smile touched upon his lips, a disgruntled attempt of a laugh overtook his darks words as he watched her face.

'Ah Rose, did no one ever tell you if the wind changes you'll stay that way?' he murmured softly. She let her features drop into a smile as she turned to meet his gaze. He almost laughed again

'Then what would we do? A face as pretty as yours'. Rose felt herself almost smile again as she dropped her head to the metal railings that caged them. He raised one hand so he could stroke the golden curls that crowned her head, even in their current state she was still a beauty.

'I'm gunna get us through this' he promised, finally speaking what was cramming his mind with irrational thoughts until he could barely breath. She heard the edge on his words and glanced up watching the determination in his eyes. She raised her hand to shakily trace the line of his cheek

'I know you will' she murmured, her faith in him never shaken. He smiled proudly at her – his first real smile in so long, one that reached his eyes and showed his utter adoration for her. She nearly blushed under his gaze before returning his smile. Lost in her eyes he barely noticed the water surging up towards them.

Then he saw it, the claws of darkness reaching up for the woman he truly adored.

'This is it Rose' his voice sent shivers down her spine as she nodded in understanding. He wrapped an arm around Ruby and clutched Rose's hand tightly

'I've got Ruby, don't you worry about her. All you have to do is hold my hand, and don't let go' he instructed as his face set into grim lines.

'Never' she vowed, he nodded at her

'Good because I'm not losing you' it was a promise and a reassurance to himself, she nodded in response.

'Oh and Rose? Don't forget to breathe' he smiled

'Same to you' they shared one last smile and nodded

'See you soon?' Rose asked softly, fear barely apparent in her eyes as water surged towards them

'You can count on it'.

As quickly as it had happened the ocean surged up, its' black depths climbing into the black sky as it tried to claim its' victims. As the current tore at them and the ice licked their skin, their hands remained intertwined and as the depths pulled the carcass of the titanic under, she took everyone on board into the black depths leaving them to fight their own way back. This was the final battle of life and death.


	29. Chapter 29

I'm back from my holiday. Had a lovely time! Thanks for all your reviews!

Also, this is the penultimate chapter!

* * *

Making It Count

Chapter Twenty Nine

The water stinging on Rose's cheeks was nothing like she'd ever felt before, it was like a thousand knifes pounding into her face. Her entire body convulsed in reaction, her legs cramping as they continuously kicked trying to force her falling body up. The surge of the hulk of the Titanic sinking into the water created a vortex of water sucking the struggling survivors down. Rose could feel it pulling her down, she desperately kicked her legs as her lungs burned heaving for oxygen. Her grip on the Doctor's hand was starting to weaken, her fingers slipping from his as the water drove them apart.

For the first time since she'd hit the water Rose opened her eyes, through the cascade of oxygen bubbles fighting their own battle she could see hundreds of faces each undergoing the same struggle. Some succeeded and their feet propelled them to oxygen, and some failed, their bodies slipping further into the darkness until they had dropped past humanity and certainly past life.

Taking one last glance before closing her eyes Rose saw the Doctor. His face was pale in the blackness of the water eating away at his skin, his brown hair floated around his skin enhancing his features, his eyes bulged but he never broke contact with her. She could see the determination in his eyes followed by despair as he felt her slipping from him. She watched his eyes as the burning filled her lungs choking her, then she felt her heart break as she slipped away.

The Doctor had fought the fighting force pulling him down, he could feel his ears pop from the pressure and his lungs burn, yet in one hand he held Ruby tightly to his chest and in his other hand he clutched at Rose. In his face red curls floated as he urged her to hold on longer and through these he could see a golden mane. Her hair floated behind her, with the layers of her dress floating around her, she reminded the Doctor of an angel as she floated alongside him and then he'd felt her hand slip.

It was followed by an overwhelming sense of desperation as her fingertips slipped past his. He tried to hold onto her but the under current was too strong, he watched in desperation, his body fitting in reaction as she slipped from him. He screamed through the water, salt burning his throat and choking his lungs, he screamed until the darkness consumed her, until the faintest hint of gold had been engulfed.

Then there was only silence. He kicked his feet up feeling the burden of the child against his chest, he knew if it wasn't for Ruby he would dive down into the darkest depths until he found her. Instead he met the eyes of the petrified child who clung to him for life and he knew he couldn't fail her as well.

Mechanically he propelled himself up until his eyes began to blacken with dots and his lungs collapsing from the pressure. As he felt himself give his last kick, he finally broke through to the surface, the icy air stinging his face like a promise. He heaved for air, spluttering as he did, he glanced down to the child in his arms.

'Ruby' he urged, gaining no response

'Ruby' his voice scratching on the cold air as he shook her gently

'Ruby!' he tried to shout shaking her torso so her red curls flounced around her head. It took a moment for it to dawn on him.

'No' he choked as he brushed a curl off her angelic face. Her porcelain cheeks were colder than the ice that surrounded them and her body was limp in his arms. He raised his shaking fingers to her neck, he skin was soft and tender beneath his fingers, he gently stroked her neck until he felt the spot where the blood should surge beneath his fingers signalling life – he felt nothing. He held in a choked sob as he held the body of a child within his arms, her tiny hand was still coiled within his and her green eyes were still open, like emeralds frozen in times still searching. Raising a hand he pushed her eyes closed unable to handle the weight of her gaze.

Clutching the child to him he glanced around, he was surrounded by faces screaming their darkness into the blackened sky. He searched every face searching for her, his hands recoiling around the dead skin that he clutched to his chest. To every blonde hair he screamed and to every star he prayed. Towing the lifeless body of his hope alongside him, he began to search the water for the only thing he had left, and the only thing he feared losing to the point it would kill him. Watching the dark waves lap against the skin of the dying he felt despair surge through him

'Rose!'

Beneath the surface the ice was numbing Rose's skin; her bare flesh was red as she tried to fight the current intent on pulling her down. She opened her eyes, the salt stinging them and sending another wave of pain shooting through her, which ever way she looked she could see darkness. She glanced in the direction she assumed to be up and saw dark shadows passing above her, an uncontrollable shiver shot through her. Feeling as though her lungs were about to burst, she kicked out, forcing her struggling form up.

Every cell within her ached with the force of preserving life, each throbbed as oxygen ceased, and each clung on as she made her final flight for life. With black dots blotting out her vision, legs weighing her down as they became useless, lungs burning with salt and water and ears pounding with pressure – she broke the surface.

Her head rose amongst a hundred others, each gasping for breath before screaming into the night but for Rose it was different – it was as though she had forgotten how to breathe. Above her stars glistened as a lost beacon of hope, darkness enshrouded her reducing the faces before her to ghosts, and the ocean swept through her mouth filling her with the taste of the dead. The salt water lapped harshly against her lips as Rose tried to remember how to breathe.

Across the water the Doctor surveyed each head that gasped for breath, with jerky movements he turned his head to inspect each face – they slowly morphed into one, all with Rose's features. Soft golden hair crowning their heads, her smile fixed on their faces, her eyes dancing on their skin – he was so entranced by them all he barely noticed when the real Rose surfaced. She stood out from the others, her blonde hair was heavy as it draped across her shoulders, her wounds of red circles were now white with bitter marks scaring her skin, her eyes - always so vivid were dull beneath the moonlight. He could barely make out her angelic features as her face rose to the sky.

Then slowly she sunk back under, the darkness of the ocean clawing at her face and tugging at her paleness.

'Rose!' he screamed as he kicked along the ocean still tugging Ruby's body behind him as he pushed through the corpses that laced the water. He saw her golden hair floating on the surface and he released Ruby who floated along side him. He reached his hands into the darkness until he felt her delicate features beneath his fingertips, he moved lower until his hands wrapped around her waist then with his last ounce of energy he tugged her up. Slowly her head resurfaced, the waves lapping gently against her skin.

'Rose…Rose breathe for me' he begged, his voice past desperation. Her eyes were wide as her mouth tried to open, he could see the light quickly draining from her

'Breath damn it' he muttered as she disobeyed. In desperation he began slapping her back rhythmically until her features were distorted; finally she let out a cough of water burning all the way up. She gasped for air, her hands clinging to his shoulders as she struggled for breath.

'Rose, oh Rose' he choked as he pulled her close.

'Doctor' she whimpered with a fresh breath. He held her freezing figure to his, his kicking legs the only thing propelling them above the surface.

'Rose Rose Rose' he whispered into her hair as he held her tighter

'I thought I'd lost you' he choked weakly, Rose shivered against him, her heart pounding

'I couldn't breathe' she whispered, her eyes wide with terror. The Doctor held her close never wanting to let go

'I nearly lost you' he repeated to himself in disbelief, she glanced up at his face. His handsome feature were distraught

'What would I do without you Rose' he whispered as he ran a shaking finger through the frost settling in her hair

'Oh Rose' he choked, suddenly overcome with emotion

'What?' she asked quietly, her teeth silently chattering. He looked at her quite suddenly; his gaze was stark and unsure

'I love you Rose' he whispered quietly as though he couldn't believe it. Finally a grin lit up Rose's features

'You do?' she choked, her whisper nearly lost in the bitter air

'I do' he confirmed, sounding more certain, he smiled softly at her

'We're both gunna get through this' he declared smiling at her – still unable to let her go

'Promise?' she asked

'Promise' he vowed. Rose nearly smiled again as she began to kick her legs to keep her above the surface. That's when she was the mess of red curls in the water beside her.

'Ruby' she choked releasing herself from the Doctor's arms.

'Ruby!'. The Doctor caught her as she fell under again, he wrapped hiarms around her from behind, gently supporting her as she pulled Ruby's floating form towards her. Rose's fingertips were soft against the dead girl's skin; she ran her fingers over her doll like cheeks

'Doctor…' she whispered.

'I'm sorry' his voice was harsh, full of self hatred. She turned in his arms to see the pain reflecting in the darkness of his eyes

'It wasn't your fault' Rose said softly.

'I didn't get her to the surface in time' he choked, ashamed at his own failure.

'It wasn't your fault' she repeated more firmly. Blinking heavily, the Doctor glanced at the sky seeing no sign of the sun – it was as though it had sunk into the horizon never to rise again. He watched the sky wondering when this endless night would be over, silently he lay flat against the water, her pulled Rose above him, her head tucked under his chin as his hands wrapped around her stomach. Ruby's life jacked remained tied to the Doctor's arms so she couldn't float away. Silently beneath the stars the Doctor tucked his hands within Rose's, soothingly stroking her thumb as the waves rolled over his body and face freezing him – but never touching her. As he held her freezing body against his in the ocean of the dead he became determined to never fail her – especially not in this endless night.


	30. Chapter 30

This is the final chapter! So I want to thank you all again for your lovely reviews, and hope you enjoy the last bit!

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Making It Count

Chapter Thirty

The Doctor and Rose lay that way throughout the night, piled on top of one another, their hands gently touching as a constant reassurance until the morning light. Frost clung to their hair, covering them until it appeared as a crown upon their scalps, their lips were a pale blue and their breath stained the air in tiny clouds. Shivers no longer ran through them as their body temperatures slowly lowered, together they watched the darkened sky waiting for the stars to leave and for the sun to reappear.

It took hours, hours that felt like an eternity, for the first ray of sun to break the water. The Doctor squinted as the tiny ray of light tore through the darkness alighting the scene around them – he saw the corpses that surrounded them, creating tiny islands within the black water. He held Rose closer as he tired to turn his neck to squint into the endless ocean, a faint shadow marked beneath the water – a ghost of the Titanic reminding them where they had all fallen. Tearing his eyes away he found the horizon, the spot where the faintest blob of light was appearing, the black line which was being shortened by light which held a promise.

'Rose' he whispered, his voice was hoarse, the freezing air having attacked his throat.

'Rose' he tried again, this time slowly shaking her, she squeezed his hand in response – too tired to speak.

'The sun's coming up' he whispered against her head, she gently turned her face to the sun, longing for the feeling of its warm rays against her frozen skin. She was starting to feel as though she'd never leave this place- that she'd freeze to a point where she became part of the sea, one of the nameless faces that sunk into the ocean, just another number. But whenever she started to think like that the Doctor would squeeze her hand reminded her not to give up, that hope could always prevail, and watching the sun together, they began to feel hope surge through them once more.

Slowly the rays reached the waves, creating light on the black waves so that their colours lightened, the ray revealed the dead and the dammed; it showed broken corpses and the carcass of the ship. The Doctor watched a section of the ship that floated along side them, he squinted at it as the way lapped against the metal of the pristine door, slowly the waves engulfed it, dragging it down as it had down with everything else.

Bubbles rose as the hulk of metal slowly disappeared beneath the waves – but behind it was another object, the Doctor shut his eyes in disbelief. Floating along side them in the ocean was the Tardis, lying on her side. The waves battled against her yet she remained afloat, her doors firmly shut as they battled the salty air, her windows were still lit up – a beacon guiding them home.

'Rose…'the Doctor choked, 'Rose…the Tardis' he murmured. Rose mumbled something as her eyes began to close again

'No, Rose- the Tardis!' he chocked out as he tried to move his legs which were freezing into place.

'Tardis…' the Doctor heard Rose faintly mumble. The Doctor glanced about and slowly lowered himself back into the freezing water gasping as it stung against his freezing skin. Rose let out a cry as the water stung at her again; she grasped the Doctor and begged him to lift her up again. He shook his head slowly at her, breaking his heart in the process at the desperation in her eyes

'Rose, we're almost home' he promised as he took her hand. Slowly he began to swim across the short distance, pulling Rose along beside him

'We're almost there' he promised as he tugged her slowly. Rose squinted through the cracks in her eyelids at the blue box floating before them. Rose stifled her whimpers as the cold water stung at her again; she fixed her eyes to the Tardis trying not to look at the bodies that floated beside her, their hands reaching out for someone that would never come. Floating beside them was Ruby's pale corpse, Rose could barely look at it as her legs feebly kicked, wincing as her legs became tangled with those of the dead.

She tried not to react as she felt the water moving around her legs, her eyes remained closed with only the Doctors damp hand guiding her. Finally she felt the skin from beneath her hand disappear until she could feel coarse wood. She opened her eyes to find herself clinging onto the side of the Tardis, her fingers were tracing the splinters of the ships' door. The Doctor was beside her, also holding onto the side his fingers firm as he began to bang on the front door.

'Doctor' she whispered, her voice barely remaining 'How we gunna get in with no keys?' she choked as tears began to sting at her eyes again. He gave her a soft smile

'She's telepathic – she'll let us in, she knows how badly we need her' he reassured her as he climbed up onto the doors. Soon he sat on the blue paintwork, his soaking form resting against faint light radiating from the top where the words were illuminated. He'd cut the rope that kept Ruby at his side and lifted her body up with him so that she lay upon the ship as well. He then turned to lean over the side reaching his hands down to Rose, she glanced up at him, her fingers barely clinging onto the side of the Tardis.

'Rose, give me your hand' he called down, she tried to raise her hands but she couldn't – she feared falling back in too greatly.

'I won't let you fall Rose, I promise' he whispered as he leant forward. Slowly she lifted one hand up to his, her pale hand shaking under the beginning of the morning sun. The Doctor grasped her hand and began to tug her up, she raised her other hand and clung to his arm with it as she was slowly lifted out of the water. On top of the Tardis she fell into the Doctors arm, her shivering form entangled with his, he glanced down at her dropping damp kisses into her salt soaked hair. She shivered against him, their hands entwined as he glanced about

'Rose, I need you to trust me' he whispered into her hair

'I do' she whispered back, he nodded,

'Right, just close your eyes' he began

'Just get me out of her' she murmured into his chest. He stroked a lock of hair off her face and nodded slowly

'I'm trying my Rose, I'm trying'. He turned to the doors and began to push them

'Come on….please, come on' he urged the ship, after a tense moment the doors swung open, he glanced down at the interior – the entire thing was on its side. Slowly, using the rope that was attached to Ruby, he dropped her down until her body rested on the bottom of the control panel, the floor pressed against the soles of her feet. Then he turned to Rose

'I'm gunna go first' he began, she glanced down through the doors

'You can't fall all that way!' she began. He cut her off with a look

'I'm gunna go first, then you can jump and I'll catch you. I promise'.

Rose looked down nervously then glanced around before slowly nodded, she framed his face with her hands and pressed a quick kiss to his lips

'Be careful' she whispered, he grinned at her

'You too' and then he jumped. He landed straddling the column in the centre of the room, he rotated round so that he lay against it on his back then he held his hands out

'Okay Rose' he shouted up, 'Jump!'

Rose glanced down and took one last glance around at the dead that swarmed around her

'I'm sorry' she whispered to them before she shut her eyes and jumped through the doors.

The Doctor caught her in his arms and wrapped his hands tightly around her as he began to hit buttons on the panel with his foot. Slowly the ship began to move lifting the Doctor and Rose up as they clung to one another in their ship.

As the Tardis had taken off, the ship had righted itself so that her masters rested upon the floor once more. They cradled one another; their bodies frigid with cold as they shook bathed in the blue light of the ships interior. The Doctor gently brushed the wet strands of hair off her face as she traced the pale blue of his lips. They warmed one another with their own heat until the Tardis came to a stop.

Then they stood, shakily at first, their muscles cramping and their bodies aching, they leant against one another as they turned to the door. Ruby rested gently in the Doctor's arms, her red curls dank in the light as they splayed over his shoulder. Silently the trio stepped through the Tardis's doors unto a field of ruby red poppies. Their black centres stared out the field like eyes and the Doctor carried her to the centre of them, then he slowly laid her body down amongst the flowers, their petals gently tracing her skin as they covered her in death. Their red petals were so dark in contrast to the paleness of her skin; her eyes were shut in death and her lips cold.

The Doctor looked down at her, gently squeezing her hand before placing a flower within it,

'I'm sorry, so sorry' he whispered as he stood – his legs nearly giving way. Rose moved forward and slowly bent, she pressed a soft kiss to Ruby's forehead as she brushed a ruby curl off her forehead

'You were so brave' she choked, moving away unable to look any longer. She stood beside the Doctor, their hands slowly intertwining, their skin still damp from moments ago.

Then slowly they turned away from the girl they had failed and back into their ship. As the Tardis began to move the Doctor and Rose moved too. They slowly undressed, warming themselves and drying their skin. Then as darkness filled the Tardis they lay together, Rose cloaked in one of the Doctor's over sized shirts, her legs covered by a pair of jogging bottoms, the Doctor wore a jumper and jogging bottoms and together they lay in his bed.

As silence settled over the Tardis, the Doctor and Rose intertwined, their legs linked and their hands clung to one another. Rose listened to the sound of his twin heart beat whilst he slowly stroked out her drying curls. Occasionally his hand would fall to her face to trace the scabbing skin, and the key shaped burn that marked her chest. No matter where she went the Tardis would always be imprinted upon her.

'I'm sorry' he whispered into her hair, she shook her head against his chest

'Don't be – we're both here, we're both alive, there's nothing more you could have done' she assured him, her voice slowly returning. He remained in his brooding silence as he held her to him, so fearful of letting her go in case he lost her.

'Oh Rose' he murmured, she rolled over in his arms, their skin warming at the touch of one another until she could look up into his eyes. His eyes watched her worriedly, tracing her skin with his gaze

'Thank you' she whispered against his cheek, their faces pressed to one another, he had no answer

'I promise, it will get better' he whispered, hoping that she wasn't thinking of leaving, silently urging her to stay.

'Everything's better where you are' she whispered against his smile, he watched her with mild surprise

'You're staying?' he whispered – so scared in case she wasn't. She nodded, looking almost confused

'Always' she promised. He beamed at her as he lowered his mouth to hers

'I love you Rose Tyler' he whispered softly against her coarse lips, she smiled against his kiss

'I love you too'. He held her close as he kissed her softly thinking of the future they would have together

'To making it count?' he asked. She laughed softly as she nodded before agreeing against his lips.

'To making it count'.

The End

Thank you so much for reading! I'd love to know your final thoughts.


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